^>. 


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2 

3 

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1 


KLONDIKE 

THE  LAND  OF  GOLD 


miuetcatefi 


BSSSl 


CONTAINING  ALL  AVAILABLE  PRACTICAL 

INFORMATION    OF   EVERY   DESCRIPTION 

CONCERNING  THE    NEW    GOLD    FIELDS 

* 

WHAT  THEY  ARE  AND  HOW  TO  REACH  THEM  — A  SHORT 

HISTORY  OF  ALASKA  — A  SYNOPSIS  OF  THE  PERSONAL 

TESTIMONY  OF  MINERS  WHO  HAVE  BEEN  ON  THE 

GROUND— A  DIGEST  OF  THE  MINING  LAWS  OF 

THE   UNITED  STATES  AND  CANADA— THE 

LATEST    AUTHENTIC    MAPS,   WITH    A 

REVIEW   OF  THE    FAMOUS   GOLD 

RUSHES  OF  THE  WORLD 


BY 

CHARLES  FREDERICK  STANSBURY 

PUBLISHED  BY 

R  TENNYSON  NEELY 

U4  FIFTH  AVENUE,  NEW  YORK 
J897 


:.^./?&*ai:p-iifiiil 


'*l    I 


Copyright,  1897,  hy 
Charles  Frederick  Stansbury 

r 

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An  earnest  desire  to  ootain  practical  infor- 
mation concerning  the  gold  fields  in  the  Klon- 
dike in  a  non-hysterical  and  concrete  form, 
prompted  the  author  of  this  work  to  seek  such 
knowledge.  Not  being  able  to  find  it,  he  com- 
piled this  volume  from  the  best  sources  of  in- 
formation for  the  benefit  of  himself  and  the 
public. 


INDEX. 


PAGE. 

Klondike  Gold  Fields 5 

Human  Documents 32 

A  Practical  Chapter 71 

The  Law  of  Mining 120 

A  Short  History  of  Alaska 154 

Famous  Gold  Rushes 173 

Poem ■ 183 

Gold  and   its  Victims 184 


'*^'--'" 


-*  K'         ^        *         *• 


■*v. 


•A 


THE  KLONDIKE  GOLD  FIELDS. 


PAGE. 

5 

..   32 

••  71 

.  .  I20 

••  154 

••  ^73 

..  183 

.  184 

Gold!  goldl  gold!  gold! 

Bright  and  yellow,  hard  and  cold, 

Molten,  graven,  hammered  and  rolled  ; 

Heavy  to  get  and  light  to  hold  ; 

Hoarded,  bartered,  bought  and  sold. 

Stolen,  borrowed,  squandered,  doled  ; 

Spurned  by  the  young,  but  hugged  by  the  old 

To  the  very  verge  of  the  churchyard  mould  ; 

Price  of  many  a  crime  untold  ; 

Goldl  gold!  gold!  gold! 

—  Thomas  Hood. 

The  Klondike  gold  fields  of  Alaska  are  so 
called  because  situated  on  and  about  the  Klon- 
dike Eiver,  a  tributary  of  the  Yukon  River, 
into  which  it  flows  at  a  point  just  above  the 
settlement  of  Forty  Mile.  It  is  within  the 
territory  of  British  Columbia,  is  under  Can- 
adian rule,  and  is  governed  by  Canadian  law. 

Mr.  Harold  B.  Goodrich,  of  the  United 
States  Geological  Survey,  is  authority  for  the 
statement  that  the  name  Klondike  is  a  miner's 
corruption  of  the    Indian    "  Throndink,"    or 


J 


C  THE   KLONDIKE   GOLD   FIELDS. 

Thron  Diuck,  according  to  Canadian  spelling, 
which  means  ''  water  full  of  fish."  The  little 
river  bearing  the  name  has,  he  says,  from  time 
immemorial  been  a  favorite  fishing  ground 
for  the  gens  des  hois^  who  meet  at  its  mouth 
and  wait  for  the  salmon  to  ascend  every  June. 
The  old  name,  Reindeer  Ri  v^er  (or  Deer  River), 
was  given  by  Lieutenant  Frederick  Schwatka 
in  1883,  and  is  on  the  United  States  Coast  Sur- 
vey Charts  that  have  appeared  since  then. 

The  discoverer  of  the  rich  placer  diggings  of 
the  Klondike  is  known  to  be  George  W.  Cormack, 
a  working  miner,  who  was  generally  known  as 
Si  wash  George,  and  the  first  claim  was  staked 
on  Bonanza  Creek,  a  small  tributary  of  the 
Klondike  River.  The  staking  of  this  claim 
occurred  on  August  17,  1896,  and  marks  the 
beginning  of  a  wonderful  era  for  Alaska. 
There  are  a  large  number  of  such  creeks  as 
Bonanza,  each  said  to  be  equally  rich  in  gold 
deposits.  Among  them  are  the  El  Dorado, 
Victoria,  Adams,  McCormack,  Reddy  Bullion, 
Nugget  Gulch,  Bear,  Baker  and  Chee-Chaw- 
Ka.  This  region,  which  in  July,  1896,  was, 
comparatively  speaking,  uninhabited,  is  now 
dotted  with  hundreds  of  miners'  tents,  as  white 


f  I 


ill 


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I  spelling, 
The  little 
Tom  time 
?  ground 
ts  mouth 
ery  June, 
er  River), 
Sjchwatka 
:?oast  Sur- 
then. 

ggings  of 
Cormack, 
known  as 
'as  staked 
ly  of  the 
his  claim 
narks  the 

Alaska, 
creeks  as 
1  in  gold 

Dorado, 
Y  Bullion, 
ee-Chaw- 
S96,  was, 
I,  is  now 
,  as  white 


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If 


THE   KLONDIKE   GOLD   FIELDS.  7 

as  the  snow  which  will  begin  to  fly  in  Sep- 
t  omber. 

In  the  summer  of  1896  a  party,  consisting 
of  Messrs.  Spurr,  Schi  uler  and  Goodrich,  was 
sent  by  the  United  States  Geological  Survey 
to  investigate  tho  American  gold  fields  of 
Alaska.  To  quote  Mr.  Goodrich,  they 
'*  stopped  a  few  hoars  at  the  little  Indian 
village,  where  Dawson  City  is  now  located, 
and  then  passed  on  into  American  territory. 
This  was  on  the  5th  of  July,  and  at  that  time 
all  was  quiet  along  the  Klondike.  Later  on, 
however,  just  as  we  were  going  out  of  the 
country,  and  were  within  500  miles  of  the 
mouth  of  the  Yukon,  we  learned  from  miners 
who  had  been  there  that  there  was  a  great 
stampede  to  the  new  discoveries.  Even  then 
no  hint  was  given  of  its  great  richness,  al- 
though good  prospects  had  been  found,  and  as 
high  as  $1  to  the  pan  was  reported." 

It  thus  appears  that  on  July  6,  1896,  all  was 
quiet  along  the  Klondike,  or  as  Mr.  Goodrich 
prefers  to  spell  it,  the  Clondike. 

There  is  a  geiieral  concensus  of  opinion 
among  returned  miners,  that  the  best  way  to 
reach  the  new  gold  fields  i^  by  way  of  Juneau. 


8 


THE  KLONDIKE  GOLD  FIELDS. 


The  distance  from  that  point  is  650  miles,  and 
thirty  days  should  be  allowed  to  traverse  it 
under  ordinary  conditions. 

Juneau. 

Juneau  is  the  key  to  the  new  Klondike 
region  and  the  head  waters  of  the  Yukon. 
The  water  route,  by  way  of  St.  Michael,  is  of 
secondary  consideration.  Juneau  is  a  centre  of 
importance.  Some  enormous  mining  plants 
are  in  operation  among  the  quartz  veins  with- 
in sixty  miles  of  the  town.  The  coast  mines 
about  Seward  City,  represent  the  investment  of 
vast  capital  by  the  Rothschilds  and  their 
friends.  D.  0.  Mills,  New  York,  the  Noewells, 
of  Boston,  the  Berners'  Bay  Mining  and  Mill- 
ing Company,  directed  by  Colonel  John  F. 
Plummer,  New  York,  are  among  those  inter- 
ested in  this  district.  The  product  of  the 
Juneau  mines  for  1806  was  $2,500,000.  At 
present  the  rush  is  to  the  placers,  but  undoubt- 
edly the  stream  will  later  set  back  toward  the 
quartz  fissures  in  the  mountain  altitudes  nearer 
the  sea.  The  Yukon  is  navigable  in  sum- 
mer for  about  1200  miles,  and  all  of  its  in 


«    I 


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Lverse  it 


Clondike 
Yukon, 
lel,  is  of 
lentre  of 
plants 
ns  with- 
t  mines 
tment  of 
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oewells, 
Lid  Mill- 
Fohn  F. 
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of  the 
)0.  At 
mdoubt- 
rard  the 
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THE   KLONDIKE  GOLD  FIELDS. 


9 


numerable  tributaries  are  said  to  carry  flour 
gold,  which  increases  in  coarseness  in  tlie 
journey  towards  the  mouth  of  the  stream. 
But  a  small  fraction  of  this  country  has  been 
prospected,  and  that  not  thoroughly.  The 
mineral  resources  of  Alaska  may  be  said  to 
have  been,  as  yet,  barely  scratched. 

For  the  land  trip  by  way  of  Juneau  and  the 
Chilkoot  pass,  all  outfitting  should  be  done  at 
Seattle,  where  ample  supplies  and  implements 
for  miners  are  kept  in  stock.  In  planning  a 
trip  to  the  Klondike,  it  is  well  to  regard  Seattle 
as  a  base  of  supplies.  Only  those  persons  who 
intend  to  engage  in  mining  should  make  the 
journey  to  the  gold  fields,  as  there  are  but  two 
industries  in  Alaska — mining  and  fishing. 

The  trail  from  Juneau  to  Klondike  leads 
across  a  number  of  lakes  and  along  the  beds  of 
many  streams.  This  route  is  by  way  of  the 
now  famous  Chilkoot  Pass,  the  crossing  of 
which  is  both  arduous  and  dangerous  for  ten 
months  of  the  year.  Snow  storms  at  the  Pass, 
the  violence  of  which  renders  it  so  dangerous, 
occur  as  late  as  May  and  June  and  as  early  as 
September.  Chilkoot  Pass  reaches  an  eleva- 
tion of  4,100  feet,  and  is  one  of  two  openings 


>A 


',*»«»"' 


10 


THE  KLONDIKE  GOLD  FIELDS. 


in  the  mountain  range,  the  peaks  of  which  rise 
to  a  height  of  10,000  feet.  The  snowstorms 
which  afflict  the  pass  are  sudden,  furious  and 
treacherous,  and  constitute  the  greatest  danger 
in  passing  from  Juneau  to  the  Klondike. 

In  1883,  Lieutenant  Frederick  Schwatka,  of 
the  United  States  Army,  an  able,  indefatigable 
oflScer,  noted  for  the  accuracy  of  his  reports, 
made  the  passage  to  Lake  Lindeman,  in  the 
Klondike,  through  the  Chilkoot  Pass,  to  which 
he  gave  the  n?me  of  Perrier  Pass.  Though 
some  mechanical  facilities  have  been  added  to 
lessen  the  difficulties  of  surmounting  it  since 
his  day,  yet  his  experience  ought  to  prove  of 
great  value  to  those  who  desire  an  accurate 
knowledge  of  the  frowning  barrier  that  lies 
between  the  Pacific  Ocean  and  the  New  El 
Dorado.  Therefore  a  brief  summary  of  his 
report  to  the  Secretary  of  War  is  here  given. 
He  says  :  ' '  There  are  some  three  or  four  passes 
through  the  co?  st  range  of  Alaskan  moun- 
tains, leading  from  the  inland  passages  of  the 
Pacific  Ocean  to  the  sources  of  the  Yukon 
River  *  *  *  The  Lynn  Channel,  at  its 
head,  divides  into  two  deep  inlets — the  Chilkat 
and  tho  Chilkoot,  each  receiving  rivers  at  their 


THE  KLONDIKE   GOLD  FIELDS. 


11 


heads,  and  from  these  valleys  lead  out  trails 
that  reach  different  sources  of  the  Yukon 
Kiver  (the  Klondike  being  one),  and  that  have 
been  known  to  have  been  traveled  by  the  Chil- 
kat  and  Chilkoot  Indians,  respectively,  for  many 
years  in  the  past.  *  *  *  The  Chilkoot 
Trail  leads  up  the  inlet  to  a  branch  once  called 
the  Dayay  (Dyea),  and  through  it  to  the 
mouth  of  a  river  of  the  same  name,  thence  to 
its  head  and  across  the  mountains  to  one  of  the 
sources  of  the  Yukon,  its  disadvantages  being 
the  three  or  four  canons,  rapids  or  cascades 
that  obstruct  that  part  of  the  river  to  which 
its  leads." 

In  this  connection  it  must  be  recalled  that 
Lieutenant  Schwatka  crossed  the  Pass  fourteen 
years  ago,  which  makes  the  following  passage 
from  his  report  singularly  prophetic:  "Mining 
I  irties,  in  small  numbers,  had  also  crossed  this 
trail  in  order  to  prospect  the  head  waters  of  the 
Yukon  for  valuable  minerals,  but  as  far  as  any 
results  were  obtained,  outside  of  their  imposed 
labors,  nothing  had  been  gained  by  their  at- 
tempts ;  still  their  adventurous  efforts  should 
receive  the  highest  commendation,  for  had 
they  been,   or  should  they  6e,  successful  in 


12 


THE  KLONDIKE  GOLD  FIELDS. 


developing  rich  mineral  in  this  section  of  the 
country  (which  must  he  limited  in  its  industries 
to  minerals  and  fisheries)  they  would  do  a  prac- 
tical good  only  to  be  measured  by  the  value  of 
their  discoveries." 

^'The  Indian  Packers,"  continues  Schwatka, 
*'  over  these  mountain  passes  usually  carry  100 
pounds,  although  one  that  I  had  walked  along 
readily  with  127,   and  a  miner  informed  me 
that  his  party  employed  one  that  carried  160. 
The  cost  of  carriage  of  a  pack  (100  pounds) 
over  the  Chilkoot  trail  for  miners  has  been 
from  $9  to  $12,  and  the  Indians  were  not  in- 
clined to  see  me  over  at  any  reduced  rates. 
*    *    *    After  I  had  crossed  the  trail  I  in  no 
way  blamed  the  Indians  for  their  stubborness 
in  maintaining  what  seemed  at  first  sight  to  be 
exorbitant,    and    only    wondered    that    they 
would  do  this  extremely  fatiguing  labor  so 
reasonably. " 

Eegarding  Dayay  (Dyea),  Lieut.  Schwatka 
says: 

^'  The  Dayay  Inlet  and  Valley  is  of  the  same 
general  character  as  the  Inland  passages  of  the 
Archipelago,  a  river-like  inlet  between  high 
hills  covered  with  3pruce  and  pinQ  yearly  to 


THE   KLONDIKE   GOLD   FIELDS. 


13 


the  top,  the  latter  predominates  in  the  lower 
levels,  the  former  in  the  higher  and  capped 
with  barren  granite  mountains,  covered  on  the 
top  and  in  the  gulches  with  snow  and  glaciers, 
which  furnish  water  for  innumerable  cascades 
and  waterfalls.  These  glaciers  on  the  moun- 
tain tops  become  better  marked  as  the  river 
is  ascended.  One  on  the  west  side  of  the 
Dayay  may  be  said  to  commence  opposite  the 
mouth  of  that  stream,  if  not  before,  and  con- 
tinue along  it  some  ten  or  twelve  miles  until 
the  outline  could  no  longer  be  followed  in  the 
fog  and  mist  that  nearly  always  cling  to  their 
faces,  especially  during  the  warm  summer 
months,  when  the  atmosphere  charged  with 
moisture  from  the  warm  waters  of  the  near 
Pacific  is  driven  against  them  by  the  sea 
breezes." 

With  reference  to  game  in  this  section 
Schwa tka  says: 

"The  Oregon  blue  grouse  could  be  heard 
hooting  in  the  woods,  and  in  the  quiet  even- 
ings a  perfect  chorus  of  them  filled  the  air. 
Trout  had  been  caught  in  the  fish  wires  of  the 
*  Stick'  Indians  and  offered  us  for  sale.  The 
tracks  of  black  bear,  fresh  and  old,  were  very 


■HHiiiiii* 


14 


THE   KLONDIKE   GOLD  FIELDS. 


numerous,  nnd  one  "was  seen  but  not  secured. 
Mountain  goats  and  deer  can  also  be  added  to 
the  game  list." 

It  was  on  July  10th  that  Schwatka  started 
to  cross  the  mountains  at  Chilkoot  Pass.  He 
says:  "The  party  started  at  7.30  a.  m.,  the 
trail  leaving  the  narrow  valley,  oftentimes  not 
wider  than  the  river  bed  itself,  and  leading  up 
over  the  mountain  spurs  of  the  eastern  side  of 
the  stream.  The  difficulties  of  the  inland  walk- 
ing has  already  been  described,  and  the  pres- 
ent was  no  improvement  on  it  in  any  particu- 
lar. Occasionally  the  path  would  debouch  into 
the  river-bed  wherever  it  was  wide  enough  to 
give  a  mile  or  two  of  walking  and  wading  and 
then  would  strike  over  the  mountain  sides 
again.  At  places  on  the  latter  it  would  be 
very  easy  to  lose  the  trails  where  they  followed 
for  long  distances  over  great  winrows  and  ava- 
lanches of  broken  boulders  and  shattered  stones 
varying  in  size  from  a  person's  head  to  the  size 
of  a  small  house." 

The  actual  distance  across  the  Chilkoot  Pass 
is  eleven  miles,  but  it  is  fully  equal  to  thirty 
miles  over  an  ordinary  road.  The  crest  of  the 
Pass  is  4,100  feet  above  the  sea  level.     The 


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11 


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THE   KLONDIKE   GOLD  FIELDS. 


15 


^k 


Indian  packers  sliow  marvellous  agility  in 
climbing  the  steep  declivities  where  a  false  step 
would  hurl  them  hundreds  of  feet  below.  In 
many  cases  footholds  have  to  be  cut  in  the 
glacial  snow,  and  it  is  often  necessary  for  an 
advance  party  to  prepare  a  trail  for  the  pack- 
ers. Climbing  the  Pass  is  of  the  most  severe 
Alpine  character,  even  when  unencumbered, 
and  it  seems  almost  marvelous  that  men  should 
be  enabled  to  make  the  ascent  laden  with  100 
to  160  pounds  of  freight.  From  the  highest 
notch  in  the  pass  the  mountains  can  still  be  seen 
towering  thousands  of  feet  above  on  either  side. 
Beyond  the  apex  of  the  pass  down  to  Lake 
Lindeman  and  the  Klondik  the  trail  is  more 
easily  followed,  although  the  traveling  is  very 
irksome. 

The  Indian  tribe  that  inhabits  the  region  of 
the  Klondike  is  the  Tahk-Heesh,  known  locally 
as  the  "Sticks."  Numerically  the  tribe  is  a 
small  one  and  they  seem  to  conform  to  the  un- 
prolific  and  dreary  aspect  of  the  country  which 
they  inhabit.  They  are  very  wretched  looking 
objects,  garbed  in  a  combination  of  civilized  and 
native  clothes.  They  are  of  average  size,  and 
all  of  them  have  the  appearance  of  being  half 


16 


THE  KLONDIKE  GOLD  FIELDS. 


starved,  notwithstanding  which  they  are  equal 
to  the  better  looking  Chilkat  Indians  in  the 
matter  of  carrying  large  packs.  They  subsist 
almost  entirely  upon  salmon,  which  they  dry 
in  the  sun  without  salt  for  winter  consump- 
tion. 

A  word  must  be  said  about  the  mosquitoes 
that  for  three  months  of  the  year  infest  the 
Klondike  region.  In  certain  places  and  at  cer- 
tain times  they  constitute  a  menace  to  the  life 
and  sanity  of  man,  while  even  such  tough  ani- 
mals as  the  black  bear  frequently  succumb  to 
them.  Lieutenant  Schwatka  states  that  they 
may  be  said  to  have  been  the  worst  discomfort 
his  party  was  called  on  to  endure.  They  often, 
he  says,  ' '  made  many  investigations,  usually 
carried  on  in  explorations,  impossible  of  execu- 
tion, and  will  be  the  great  bane  of  this  coun- 
try, should  the  mineral  discoveries  or  fisheries 
ever  attempt  to  colonize  it.  I  have  never  seen 
their  equal  for  steady  and  constant  irritation 
in  any  part  of  the  United  States,  the  swamps 
of  New  Jersey  and  the  sand  hills  of  Nebraska 
not  excepted.  It  was  only  when  the  wind  was 
blowing,  and  well  out  on  a  lake  or  wide  p  or- 
tion  of  the  river  that  their  abominable  torment 


THE  KLONDIKE  GOLD  FIELDS. 


17 


ceased."  The  small  black  gnat  is  at  times 
almost  equal  to  the  Alaska  mosquito  as  an 
insanity  breeder. 

The  testimony  regarding  Alaska's  greatest 
pest  is  endorsed  by  all  of  the  miners  and  tour- 
ists who  have  sojourned  in  that  country. 

The  proximity  of  the  Klondike  region  to  the 
arctic  circle  renders  it  sufficiently  a  ' '  land  of 
the  midnight  sun  "  during  the  summer  months 
for  a  person  to  read  the  type  of  an  ordinary 
newspaper  at  midnight  without  resorting  to 
artificial  light.  At  such  times  but  one  star, 
Venus,  is  visible  in  the  cloudless  sky.  The 
long  winter  months,  on  the  contrary,  are  en- 
shrouded in  perpetual  twilight. 

Dr.  Krause,  a  German  savant,  explored  and 
mapped  the  Klondike  region  very  accurately, 
and  his  maps  and  data,  probably  the  most  com- 
prehensive extant,  appear  in  the  proceedings  of 
the  Bremen  Geographical  Society  for  1882. 
Miners  and  prospectors  cannot  be  warned  too 
often  against  placing  reliance  on  maps  con- 
cocted by  guesswork  by  parlor  authors.  Many 
c  poor  fellow  has  been  lured  to  his  death  by 
loUowing  these  geographical  wills  o'  the  wisp. 

Generally    speaking,    the   climate    of    the 


'/mmmmmiiimi^mfv-''v^'r'^<' 


18 


THE  KLO^T)IKE   GOLD  FIELDS. 


;  1 


;■  i 


Klondike  district  is  healthful  and  the  con- 
ditions of  winter  life  there  can  be  made  even 
enjoyable  with  warm  clothing,  good  food, 
cleanliness  and  exercise.  These  simple  aids  to 
healthfulness  are  unfortunately  at  present 
mostly  conspicuous  by  their  absence. 

The  Klondike  gold  fields,  being  situated  in 
the  gullies  are,  of  course,  placer  diggings,  al- 
though the  surrounding  mountains  are  very 
rich  in  quartz  veins,  the  working  of  which  will 
constitute  the  mining  of  the  futm^e.  The  entire 
basin  of  the  Yukon,  covering  an  enormous 
area  of  the  interior  of  Alaska  and  the  north- 
west territory  is  a  vast  treasure-bed,  contain- 
ing besides  gold,  marble,  coal,  copper  and  other 
metals. 

The  mining  season  at  the  new  placer  diggings 
would  under  ordinary  conditions  last  but  for 
about  three  months  of  the  year,  but  climatic 
necessities  have  evolved  the  system  known  as 
"burning" — sinking  shafts  and  running  tun- 
nels by  means  of  fire.  In  this  manner  the  pay 
dirt  is  extracted  and  stored  by  the  banks  of 
streams.  When  the  river  ice  becomes  water 
in  the  spring  the  sluice  box  conaes  into  requisi- 


■ 


THE  KLONDIKE   GOLD  FIELDS. 


19 


tion,  and  washing  out  the  gold  is  the  order  of 
the  day  for  tliroo  months. 

The  reconnaissance  made  in  1896  by  Mr. 
J.  Edward  Spurr  and  i;wo  assistants  of  the 
U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  which  has  already 
been  referred  to,  has  resulted  in  a  report  which 
is  of  great  interest  in  that  it  refers  in  detail  to 
that  portion  of  the  Alaskan  gold  fields  im- 
mediately contiguous  to  the  Klondike  district, 
and  which  lie  within  the  United  States. 

Concerning  the  Yukon  Gold  Belt,  the  report 
says: 

Yukon  Gold  Belt. 

Running  in  a  direction  a  little  west  of  north- 
west through  the  territory  examined  is  a  broad, 
cojitinuous  belt  of  highly  altered  rocks,  which 
crosses  the  area  actually  examined  approxim- 
ately as  shown  on  the  map.  To  the  east  this 
belt  is  known  to  be  continuous  for  100  miles  or 
more  in  British  territory.  The  rocks  constitut- 
ing this  belt  are  mostly  crystalline  schists 
associated  with  marbles  and  sheared  quartzites, 
indicating  a  sedimentary  origin  for  a  large 
part  of  the  series.  In  the  upper  part  a  few 
plant  remains  were  found,  which  suggest  that 
this  portion  is  probably  of  Devonian  age.  These 
altered  sedimentary  rocks  have  been  shattered 


^.;  'i'liTfiy'ii'iirililiiii 


,  ;(|||B5(|Ba^!'WWW«lpa««» 


<i 


20 


THE  KLONDIKE   GOLD  FIELDS. 


;■'/ 


by  volcanic  action,  and  they  are  pierced  by 
many  dikes  of  eruptive  rock.  Besides  the  minor 
volcajiic  disturbances,  there  have  been  others 
on  a  large  scale,  which  have  resulted  in  the 
formation  of  continuous  ridges  or  mountain 
ranges.  In  this  process  of  mountain  building 
the  sedir.entary  rocks  have  been  subjected  to 
such  pressure  and  to  such  alteration  from 
attendant  forces  that  they  have  been  squeezed 
into  the  condition  of  schist,  and  often  partly 
or  wholly  crystallized,  so  that  their  original 
character  has  in  some  cases  entirely  disap- 
peared. In  summarizing,  it  may  be  said  that 
*^he  rocks  of  the  gold  belt  of  Alaska  consist 
largely  of  sedimentary  beds  older  than  the 
Carboniferous  period ;  that  these  beds  have 
undergone  extensive  alteration,  and  have  been 
elevated  into  mountain  ranges  and  cut  through 
by  a  variety  of  igneous  rocks. 

Throughout  these  altered  rocks  there  are 
found  veins  of  quartz  often  carrying  pyrite 
and  gold.  It  appears  that  these  quartz  veins 
were  formed  during  the  disturbance  attending 
the  uplift  and  alteration  of  the  beds.  Many 
of  the  veins  have  been  cut,  sheared,  and  torn 
irco  fragments  by  the  force  that  has  trans- 
formed the  sedimentary  rocks  into  crystalline 
schist;  but  there  are  others,  containing  gold, 
silver,  and  copper,  that  have  not  been  very 
much  disturbed  or  broken.  These  more  con- 
tinuous ore-bearing  zones  have  not  the  charac- 


I 


THE   KLONDIKE   GOLD   FIELDS. 


21 


!l 


ter  of  ordinary  quartz  veins,  although  they 
contain  much  silica.  Instead  of  the  usual  white 
quartz  veins,  the  ore  occurs  in  a  sheared  and 
altered  zone  of  rock  and  gradually  runs  out 
on  both  sides.  So  far  as  yet  known,  these  con- 
tinuous zones  of  ore  are  of  relatively  lo ./  grade. 
Concerning  the  veins  of  w^hite  quartz  first  men- 
tioned, it  is  certain  that  most  of  them  which 
contain  gold  carry  it  only  in  small  quantity, 
and  yet  some  few  are  known  to  be  very  rich  in 
places,  and  it  is  extremely  probable  that  there 
are  many  in  which  the  whole  of  the  ore  is  of 
comparatively  high  grade. 

No  quartz  or  vein  mining  of  any  kind  has 
yet  been  attempted  in  the  Yukon  district, 
mainly  on  account  of  the  difficulty  with  which 
supplies,  machinery,  and  labor  can  be  obtained; 
yet  it  is  certain  that  there  is  a  vast  quantity 
of  gold  in  these  rocks,  much  of  which  could  be 
profitably  extracted  under  favorable  conditions. 
The  general  character  of  the  rocks  and  of  the 
ore  deposits  is  extremely  like  that  of  the  gold- 
bearing  formations  along  the  southern  coast  of 
Alaska,  in  which  the  Treadwell  and  other  mines 
are  situated,  and  it  is  probable  that  the  rich- 
ness of  the  Yukon  rocks  is  approximately  equal 
to  that  of  the  coast  belt.  It  may  be  added  that 
the  resources  of  the  coast  belt  have  been  only 
partially  explored. 

Besides  the  gold  found  in  the  rocks  of  the 
Yukon  district  there  is  reason  to  expect  paying 


s"^!^^"n 


22 


THE  KLONDIKE  GOLD  FIELDS. 


quantities  of  other  minerals.  Deposits  of  silver- 
bearing  lead  have  been  found  in  a  number  of 
localities,  and  copper  is  also  a  constituent  of 
many  of  the  ores. 


Gold  Placers. 

Since  the  formation  of  the  veins  and  other 
deposits  of  the  rocks  of  the  gold  belt  an  enor- 
mous length  of  time  lias  elapsed.  During  that 
time  the  forces  of  erosion  have  stripped  off  the 
overlying  rocks  and  exposed  the  metalliferous 
veins  at  the  surface  for  long  periods,  and  the 
rocks  of  the  gold  belt,  with  the  veins  which 
they  include,  have  crumbled  and  been  carried 
away  by  the  streams,  to  be  deposited  in  widely 
different  places  as  gravels,  or  sands,  or  muds. 
As  gold  is  the  heaviest  of  all  materials  found 
in  rock,  it  is  concentrated  in  detritus  which  has 
been  worked  over  by  stream  action;  and  the 
richness  of  the  placers  de\>ends  upon  the  avail- 
able gold  supply,  the  amount  of  available 
detritus,  and  the  character  of  the  streams 
which  carry  this  detritus  away.  In  Alaska  the 
streams  have  been  carrying  away  the  gold 
from  the  metalliferous  belt  for  a  very  long 
period,  so  that  particles  of  the  precious  metal 
are  found  in  nearly  all  parts  of  the  Territory. 
It  is  only  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  gold- 
bearing  belt,  however,  that  the  particles  of 
gold  are  large  and  plentiful  enough  to  repay 


1 


5 


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.< 


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"i 

■f- 


' 


'S 


THE  KLONDIKE  GOLD  FIELDS. 


2B 


working,  under  present  conditions.  Where  a 
stream  heads  in  the  gold  belt,  the  richest 
diggings  are  likely  to  be  near  its  extreme  upper 
part. 

In  this  upper  part  the  current  is  so  swift  that 
the  lighter  material  and  the  finer  gold  are  car- 
ried away,  leaving  in  many  places  a  rich  de- 
posit of  coarse  gold  overlain  by  coarse  gravel, 
the  pebbles  being  so  large  as  to  hinder  rapid 
transportation  by  water.  It  is  under  such 
conditions  that  the  diggings  which  are  now 
being  worked  are  found,  with  some  unimport- 
ant exceptions.  The  rich  gulches  of  the  Forty 
Mile  district,  and  of  the  Birch  Creek  district, 
as  well  as  other  fields  of  less  importance,  all 
head  in  the  gold-bearing  formation. 

A  short  distance  below  the  heads  of  these 
gulches  the  stream  valley  broadens  and  the 
gravels  contain  finer  gold  more  widely  dis- 
tributed. Along  certain  parts  of  the  stream 
this  finer  gold  is  concentrated  by  favorable 
currents,  and  is  often  profitably  washed,  this 
kind  of  deposit  coming  under  the  head  of  *^  bar 
diggings."  The  gold  in  these  more  extensive 
gravels  is  often  present  in  sufficient  quantity 
to  encourage  the  hope  of  successful  extraction 
at  some  future  time,  when  the  work  can  be 
done  more  cheaply  and  with  suitable  machinery. 
The  extent  of  these  gravels,  which  are  of  pos- 
sible value,  is  very  great.  As  the  field  of  ob- 
servation is  extended  farther  and  farther  from 


u 


THE  KLONDIKE   GOLD  FIELDS. 


the  goW -bearing  belt,  the  gold  occurs  in  finer 
and  liner  condition,  until  it  is  found  only  in 
extremely  small  flakes,  so  light  that  they  can 
be  carried  long  distances  by  the  current. 

It  may  be  stated,  therefore,  as  a  general 
rule,  that  the  profitable  gravels  are  found  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  gold-bearing  rock. 

The  gold-bearing  belt  forms  a  range  of  low 
mountains,  and  on  the  flanks  of  these  moun- 
tains, to  the  northeast  and  to  the  southwest, 
lie  various  younger  rocks  which  range  in  age 
from  Carboniferous  to  very  recent  Tertiary, 
and  are  made  up  mostly  of  conglomerates, 
sandstones  and  shales,  with  some  volcanic 
material.  These  rocks  were  formed  subse- 
quent to  the  ore  deposition,  and  therefore  do 
not  contain  metalliferous  veins.  They  have 
been  partly  derived,  however,  from  detritus 
worn  from  the  gold-bearing  belt  during  the 
long  period  that  it  has  been  exposed  to  erosion, 
and  some  of  them  contain  gold  derived  from 
the  more  ancient  rocks  and  concentrated  in 
the  same  way  as  is  the  gold  in  the  present 
river  gravels.  In  one  or  two  places  it  is  cer- 
tain that  these  conglomerates  are  really  fossil 
placers,  and  this  source  of  supply  may  event- 
ually turn  out  to  be  very  important. 


Coal. 

In  the  younger  rocks  which  overlie  the  gold- 


THE  KLONDIKE  GOLD  FIELDS. 


25 


bearing  series  there  are  beds  of  black,  hard, 
glossy,  very  pure  lignitic  coal.  An  area  of 
these  coal-bearing  strata  lies  very  close  to  the 
gold-bearing  district,  in  the  northern  part  of 
the  region  examined,  and  as  the  beds  of  coal 
are  often  of  considerable  thickness  and  the 
coal  in  some  of  them  leaves  very  little  ash  and 
contains  volatile  constituents  in  considerable 
amount,  it  is  probable  that  the  coal  deposits 
will  become  an  important  factor  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  country. 

Conditions  of  Mining. 

There  were  probably  2,000  miners  in  the 
Yukon  district  during  the  past  season,  the 
larger  number  of  whom  were  actually  engaged 
in  washing  gold.  Probably  1,500  of  them 
were  working  in  American  territory,  although 
the  migration  from  one  district  to  another  is 
so  rapid  that  one  year  the  larger  part  of  the 
population  may  be  in  American  territory  and 
the  next  year  in  British.  As  a  rule,  however, 
the  miners  prefer  the  American  side,  on  ac- 
count of  the  difference  in  mining  laws.  These 
miners,  with  few  exceptions,  were  engaged  in 
gulch  digging.  The  high  price  of  provisions 
and  other  necessaries  raises  the  price  of  ordi- 
nary labor  in  the  mines  to  $10  per  day,  and 
therefore  no  mine  which  pays  less  than  this  to 
each  man  working  can  be  even  temporarily 


2G 


THE  KLONDIKE   GOLD  FIELDS. 


E 
I 
C 
I 
\ 

1 

a 
t 
t 
r 

t 

F 


handled.  Yet,  in  spite  of  these  difficulties, 
there  was  proljably  taken  out  of  the  Yukon 
district  the  past  season,  mostly  from  American 
territory,  approximately  $1,000,000  worth  of 
gold. 

An  overland  route  should  be  surveyed  and 
constructed  to  the  interior  of  Alaska.  All  the 
best  routes  which  can  be  suggested  pass 
through  British  territory,  and  the  co-operation 
of  the  two  Governments  would  be  mutually 
beneficial,  since  the  gold  belt  lies  partly  in 
American  and  partly  in  British  possessions. 
At  the  present  time  Mr.  Spurr  thinks  that  the 
best  route  lies  from  Juneau,  by  way  of  the 
Chilkat  Pass,  overland  to  the  Yukon,  at  the 
junction  with  the  Pelly.  This  trail  has  al- 
ready been  gone  over  with  pack  horses  by  a 
pioneer  named  Dalton,  who  reports  a  good 
grazing  country  and  no  great  obstacles  to 
overcome.  The  Chilkat  Pass  is  considerably 
lower  than  the  Chilkoot,  over  which  the  Geo- 
logical Survey  party  of  1896  passed.  If  a 
wagon  road,  or  even  a  good  horse  trail,  could 
be  built  as  indicated,  the  cost  of  provisions  and 
other  supplies  would  be  greatly  reduced,  many 
gravels  now  useless  could  be  profitably  worked, 
and  employment  would  be  afforded  for  many 
men.  With  the  greater  development  of  placer 
diggings  would  come  the  development  of 
mines  in  the  bed  rock. 
♦>  Besides  the  coal  which  has  been  alluded  to. 


% 


THE  KLONDIKE   GOLD   FIELDS. 


27 


{ind 
the 


there  is  abundant  timber  throughout  the  whole 
of  the  interior  of  Alaska,  along  the  valleys  of 
the  Yukon.  For  four  or  five  months  in  the 
summer  the  climate  is  hardly  to  be  dis- 
tinguished from  that  of  the  northern  United 
States — Minnesota  or  Montana,  for  example  ; 
and  although  the  winters  are  very  severe,  the 
snowfall  is  not  heavy.  Work  could  be  carried 
on  underground  throughout  the  whole  of  the 
year  quite  as  well  as  in  the  higher  mountains 
of  Colorado. 


Future  Development. 

As  sho"vrn  on  the  map,  the  area  hastily  ex- 
amined during  the  past  season  is  but  a  portion 
of  the  great  interior  of  Alaska.  That  gold 
occurs  over  a  large  extent  of  country  has  been 
determined,  but  the  richness  of  the  various 
veins  and  lodes  remains  to  be  ascertained  by 
actual  mining  operations.  Gold  is  known  to 
occur  in  the  great  unexplored  regions  south  of 
the  Yukon,  because  of  its  presence  in  the  wash 
of  the  streams  ;  and  it  is  quite  probable  that 
the  Yukon  gold  belt  extends  to  the  north  and 
west ;  but  this  can  be  determined  only  by  fur- 
ther exploration.  That  a  second  '^California 
gold  belt "  exists  in  Alaska  may  not  be  prob- 
able, but  that  there  is  fair  prospect  of  a  steady 
yield  of  gold  is  certain. 

There  appeared  in  the  New  York  Sun  of 


28 


THE   KLONDIKE  GOLD  FIELDS. 


f 


I 

i 

1 

t 
1 
£ 
a 

s 
n 

q 

n 

1( 
a 

tJ 
t] 
r; 
tj 

P 
u 


January  24,  1897,  a  description  of  the  un- 
known region  lying  north  of  Cooks  Inlet, 
aocompanied  by  a  sketch  map  made  by  the 
prospectors.  This  map  takes  in  a  rather  large 
area,  and  shows  that  the  Alaska  Mountains 
are  broken  down  north  of  Cooks  Inlet,  and 
that  the  Sushitna  Kiver  extends  almost  directly 
north  150  miles,  when  it  branches,  one  large 
tributary  coming  from  the  west  and  another 
from  the  northeast.  The  latter  was  followed 
up  northward  200  miles  to  a  large  lake.  The 
prospecting  party  report  that  they  found  fine 
gold  in  nearly  every  pan,  and  on  the  upper 
river  platinum.  The  rocks  for  the  last  forty 
miles  below  the  falls  and  above  the  forks  of 
the  river  are  slate,  porphyry,  and  granite, 
many  veins  of  white  quartz  running  through 
the  slate.  One  specimen  assayed  well  in 
silver,  copper  and  gold.  This  is  in  the  area 
to  which  it  has  been  proposed  to  send  one  of 
the  Geological  Survey  parties  the  next  field 
season. 

On  July  3,  this  year,  about  1,300  gold 
seekers  were  scattered  along  the  trails  leading 
to  the  Klondike.  There  were  100  at  Lake 
Lindeman,  270  at  Lake  Bennett,  400  along  the 
river  between  the  two  lakes,  and  600  at  other 
points.  Three  companies  have  been  organized 
to  construct  railroads  into  the  Yukon  country, 


THE  KLONDIKE   GOLD  FIELDS. 


t9 


un- 

nlet, 

the 

arge 

tains 

,  and 

'ectly 

large 

other 

lowed 

The 

d  fine 

upper 

forty 

rks  of 

ranite, 

irough 

rell    in 

e  area 

one  of 

:t  field 


}  gold 
leading 
b  Lake 
Dng  the 
,t  other 
ganized 
oiintry, 


\- 


on  Canadian  soil,  and  surveys  are  being  made. 
One  projected  route  is  from  Lynn  Canal  on 
White  Pass.  Ex- Senator  Salisbury,  of  Dela- 
ware, has  men  in  the  field  laying  out  a  route 
from  Takou  Pass,  while  yet  a  third  party  is 
examining  the  Chilkat  route. 

In  Silver  Bow  Basin  the  Ebner  mill  is  run- 
ning on  high-grade  ore,  and  the  present  plant 
is  to  be  doubled  this  season,  ten  more  stamps 
having  been  ordered. 

The  Alaska-Juneau  Company,  operating  in 
Silver  Bow  Basin,  during  June  milled  2,300 
tons  of  ore  and  cleaned  up  $1G,300.  During 
the  same  period  the  Treadwell  milled  23,596 
tons  of  ore  and  cleaned  up  $67,000,  at  an  ex- 
pense of  $28,871.  The  Mexican  milled  14,000 
tons,  netting  $17,900. 

The  first  strikes  were  made  there  about  two 
years  ago,  and  they  were  so  rich  that  the 
stories  of  them  which  reached  the  mining 
settlements  at  Forty  Mile  and  Circle  City  were 
ridiculed.  The  result  was  that  throughout  the 
sunamer  there  was  no  rush  to  the  wonderful 
new  diggings.  Men  came  into  Circle  City  or 
Forty  Mile  and  announced  that  they  had  taken 
$50,  or  even  $100  from  a  pan  of  dirt  on 


m 


^f 


30 


THE  KLONDIKE   GOLD  FIELDS. 


the  Klondike,  and  the  only  result  was  to  raise 
a  laugh.  The  men  who  told  the  stories  laughed 
too,  took  their  supplies  and  went  back.  But 
their  laugh  was  best,  for  they  told  the  truth, 
and  those  who  wouldn't  believe  it  only  left 
them  the  more  time  to  pick  the  best  for  them- 
selves. 

In  the  fa"".!,  when  the  camps  filled  up  with 
the  men  from  the  other  diggings,  but  no  one 
came  in  from  the  Klondike,  it  began  to  dawn 
on  Circle  City  and  Forty  Mile  that  perhaps, 
after  all,  there  was  truth  in  the  wonderful 
stories.  Then  began  a  great  rush  for  the  Klon- 
dike. It  was  like  the  old  days  of  placer  min- 
ing in  California,  and  the  whole  stream  was 
staked  out  in  less  than  a  week.  Then  the  El 
Dorado,  a  little  branch  of  the  Klondike,  was 
prospected,  and  there  the  rich  Beriy  claims  are 
located,  from  one  of  which  $240  was  taken 
from  one  pan  of  pay  dirt. 

The  world  has  never  seen  such  placer  mines 
as  those  of  the  Klondike.  California  in  its 
very  best  days  was  nothiig  like  it.  Placer 
miners  will  work  claims  with  great  energy  that 
pay  10  cents  a  pan,  but  claims  on  the  Klondike 
all  last    summer    averaged   a  dollar  a  pan. 


THE   KLONDIKE   GOLD   FIELDS. 


31 


raise 
ghed 
But 
ruth, 
,r  left 
them- 

>  with 
.0  one 
dawn 
rhaps, 
derful 
Klon- 
p  min- 
(n  was 
the  El 
:e,  was 
ms  are 
',  taken 

•  mines 
,  in  its 

Placer 
gy  that 
Klondike 

a  pan. 


\ 


Miners'  wages  in  the  Yukon  country  had  been 
$10  a  day  before  the  Klondike  strikes.  Last 
summer  they  rose  to  an  ounce  a  day,  and  even 
more.  They  can't  get  the  dust  very  clean  by 
their  primitive  methods,  so  an  ounce  up  there 
is  worth  only  about  $17.50  or  $18,  but  that  is 
a  big  increase  on  $10. 


d  I 


4  ^S^ 


HUMAN  DOCUMENTS- 

Personal  Statements  From  These  Who 
Have  Been  There. 

In  the  midst  of  hysterical  r-d  confiicting 
rumors  ahout  the  new  gold  fields,  two  bold 
facts  are  patent.  First,  upward  of  15,000,000 
in  gold  dust  and  nuggets  have  reached  San 
Francisco  from  the  Klondike,  and  second,  that 
thousands  of  argonauts  of  '97  are  flocking  to 
the  New  El  Dorado. 

The  reason  for  the  conflicting  rumors  is  self- 
evident.     Two  influences  are  at  work  exactly 
as  they  are  in  Wall  street  and  in  the  sair  i 
way,  namely,  the  bulls  and  the  bears.     The 
bulls  are  booming  the  Klondike  to  an  3xtent 
that  outrages  credulity.     The  bears,  on  the 
contrary,  cannot  invent  any  story  too  horrible 
to    depict    the    new    field.       The    bulls    are 
anxious  to  have  the  new  region  fi^jd^  with 
humanity.    The  bears  desire  to  keep  Iuq  pecp'^e 
out.     Who  are  the  bulls  ?  Who  are  the  he'XTB  ? 
The  answer  is  not  difficult  to  find.     The  hulls 
have  somethhig  to  aeli— they  t^e  the  railroad, 


n 


-WH 


TSB    BULL 


AND 
(T^O    ilDEB    O) 


J 


>  (j  .  x..a?fc^iT  .^-'-">r*isf^  '-TB-"'^*3'ff'~.  I  ,■  /•■'  il 


AND 


"What  proflteth  a  man."— .V.  Y.  Heral4. 
THE    BEAR. 


(TWO    ilDES    O) 


THE    PICTURE.) 


t 


Hi 


HUMAN  DOCUMENTS. 


Zt 


■» 


S 


,"1 


-S 


steamship  and  transportation  companies;  the 
merchants  and  dealers  in  mining  machinery 
and  necessaries;  the  adventurers,  who  create 
fake  mining  companies  and  sell  the  shares  in 
large  numbers  at  small  prices  to  a  feverish, 
gullible  and  eager  public ;  the  holders  of  titles 
to  mining  claims  in  Alaska,  some  good,  some 
worthless,  and  lastly,  the  class  that  lives  on 
the  weaknesses  of  aggregated  masses  of  excited 
humanity,  the  gamblers  and  purveyors  of  vice 
of  all  kinds. 

The  bears  are  much  less  numerically  than 
the  bulls.  They  are  interested  in  keeping 
people  out  of  the  New  El  Dorado.  They  are 
exercising  a  very  human  quality  by  crying 
"wolf,"  and  trying  to  get  all  that  is  possible 
for  themselves,  and  keep  away  the  crowd  until 
they  can  partition  the  balance  among  their 
friends.  In  all  mining  rushes  there  ha"ve  been 
bulls  and  bears,  and  probably  always  will  be. 

As  all  men  view  human  testimony  from  a 
different  coign  of  mental  vantage,  and  as  it  is 
yet  too  early  for  any  one  to  assume  the  func- 
tions of  an  historian  of  the  Klondike,  the  state- 
ments, as  reported  in  American  newspapers,  of 
a  considerable  number  of  men  who  have  be«n 


I 

t 
I 

v 


^^  HtTMAN  DOCUMENTS. 

on  the  ground  are  here  given  for  what  they  are 
worth.  She  statements  have  been  shorn    of 
all  superfluous  verbiage  and  are  jumbled  to- 
f  tl  er  somewhat  in  the  order  in  which  they 
f ppeared  m  the  press  throughout  the  countxy^ 
ilthough  they  form  a  kaleidoscopic  picture  of 
The  goli  fields,  the  reader  can  draw  conclusions 
Iccofding  to  his  experience  of  human  nature 
and  his  mental  attitude. 

Joaquin  Miller,  the  poet,  writing  from  Vic- 
toria, B.  C,  on  July  26,  1897,  says : 

V  There  will  be  no  starvation  under  any  cir- 
cmnstances  in  the  Klondike  mines  either  this 
year  or  next.  1  A  great  many  people  are  crymg 
"wolfl"  when  they  can,  as  you  can  see  by  a 
little  counting,  find  no  wolf  at  all.  (For,  to 
gay  nothing  of  the  thousands  of  tons  taken  m 
by  the  steamer,  all  the  men  who  have  gone  in 
by  the  way  I  am  now  going,  what  is  called  the 
"short  cut,"  took  in  and  are  stiU  taking  m 
loads  and  loads  of  supplies^ 

«  Now,  I  am  not  going  to  take  the  responsi- 
bility of  advising  any  one  to  come  on  this  year 
But  of  two  things  I  am  certain,  from  what  i 
hav.  found  out  since  coming  to  the  bouna. 
ITirst,  there  is  no  possible  chance  for  a  famine 


HtTMAN  DOCU^rENTS. 


81 


hey  are 
orn  of 
Died  to- 
ch  they 
ountiy. 
3ture  cf 
elusions 
.  nature 

^om  Vie- 
any  cir- 

ther  this 

re  crying 

see  by  a 

(  For,  to 

taken  in 

e  gone  in 

called  the 

;aking  in 

responsi- 
this  year, 
n  what  I 
le  Sound. 

a  famine 


I 


I 


in  the  mines,  and,  second,  the  dangers  and 
hardships  and  cost  of  getting  there  have  been 
greatly  exaggerated." 

On  tho  same  day,  Louis  Sloss,  the  head  of  the 
Alaska  Commercial  Company  said  :  "I  regard 
it  as  a  crime  for  any  transportation  company  to 
encourage  men  to  go  to  the  Yukon  this  fall. 
With  the  present  and  prospective  rush,  it  will  be 
impossitle  to  get  enough  provisions  through  to 
supply  the  demand.  The  Seattle  people  who  are 
booming  the  steamship  lines  may  be  sincere, 
but  a  heavy  responsibility  will  rest  on  their 
shoulders  should  starvation  and  crime  prevail 
in  Dawson  City  next  winter. 

**  We  have  tried  to  give  the  facts  to  all  ap- 
plicants and  discourage  this  wild  rush  of  clerks, 
professional  men  and  women  who  are  unused 
to  any  hardships,  and  whose  chances  of  get- 
ting out  of  the  country  alive  will  be  very 
slender,  even  though  they  should  make  money. 
Conditions  are  radically  different  from  those  in 
California  in  the  early  days,  f  Those  who 
crossed  the  plains  or  came  by  the  Isthmus, 
found  here  a  genial  climate  and  plenty  of  food. 
They  also  turned  to  other  vocations  when 
proved    unprofitable.       But    on    the 


mmmg 


88 


HUMAN  DOCUMENTS. 


1 

t 

I 


Yukon,  if  a  man  can't  get  work  as  a  miner,  he 
must  leave  the  country  or  starve.  '  If  it  is 
winter  he  cannot  get  out,  and  so,  should  the 
food  supply  run   low,    hundreds  will    perish 
miserably.     Hence,  I  repeat  it  is  a  crime  to 
encourage  this  rush,  which  can  only  end  in 
disaster  for  three-quarters  of  the  new  arrivals. '* 
A  New  York  man,   whose  interests  would 
not  allow  the  publication  of  his  name,  familiar 
with  Alaska  mining  and  Alaska  mines,  made 
some  interesting  statements  in  the  course  of  an 
interview  published  in  a  metropolitan  news- 
paper, on  July  14,  1897.    ''There  is  this  differ- 
ence," said  he,  ''between  California  in  '49  and 
Alaska  in  '97.     Alaska  is  all  staked  out.     The 
news  has  not  gone  abroad  until  the  people  near 
at  hand,  tlie  people  who  have  spent  money, 
time,  and  their  very  lives  in  developing  the 
country,   the  people,   in  short,  who  deserved 
the  reward,  had  seized  on  everything  in  sight. 
Down  along  the  coast  in  the  quartz  lodes, 
the  stamp  mills  have  been  established  one  by 
one,  twenty  stamps  here,  forty  there.     They 
have  not  any  of  them  begun  to  be  worked  as 
hard  as  the  available  ore  will  permit.     Work 
in   Alaska   cannot   be  said  to  have  begun. 


HUMAN  DOCUMENTS. 


37 


liner,  he 

If  it  is 

ould  the 

perish 

crime  to 

end  in 

rrivals.'^ 

s  would 

familiar 

es,  made 

rse  of  an 

m  news- 

lis  differ- 

11  '49  and 

lut.     The 

;ople  near 

b  money, 

)ping  the 

deserved 

in  sight. 

'tz  lodes, 

d  one  by 

e.     They 

orked  as 

i.     Work 

3   begun. 


There  was  never  anywhere  anything  like  it. 
To  sum  the  whole  thing  up,  I  believe  that 
right  in  the  Alaska  gold  deposits  is  the  mother 
vein  of  the  gold  of  North  America.  The  placer 
deposits  in  the  Yukon  country  are  the  wash- 
ings from  those  same  rich  sources.  Years 
ago,  in  1888,  as  nearly  as  I  can  remember,  the 
placer  miners  began  working  over  Chilkat 
Pass  and  into  the  Yukon  district.  Poorly  clad, 
badly  provisioned,  they  went  out  year  after 
year.  Some  of  them  went  half  crazy.  But 
they  found  gold.  They  came  back  and  brought 
their  friends  in  with  them  next  time.  The 
very  immensity  of  what  they  found  worked  in 
their  favor.  They  told  the  truth,  the  exact 
truth.  It  sounded  like  the  boastful  inventions 
of  men  who  were  trying  to  conceal  their  disap- 
pointment. Now,  when  the  gold  dust  itself  is 
beginning  to  come  out  of  the  mountains,  people 
believe  them.  But  its  too  late  now  to  go  up 
there  with  the  idea  of  making  money  out  of 
the  mines.  Everything  is  gobbled  up.  It  is 
no  poor  man's  country.  A  man  might  as  well 
start  out  from  Juneau,  after  all  his  kit  and 
outfit  are  bought,  without  a  cent  as  without 
$500  or  $600.      But  11)  is  a  country    every 


38 


HUMAN  DOCUMENTS. 


American  who  can  afford  to  travel  ought  to 


I 

t 
t 
r 

t; 

P 
U 


see. 


)> 


Another  New  Yorker,  JohnF.  Pliimmer,  who 
is  interested  in  the  Ahislca  stamp  mills,  knows 
the  region  well,  hiiving  been  there  frequently, 
and  who  could  givo  ' '  some  inside  facts  "  to  tho 
general  public  if  he  cared  to,  has  thus  far  con- 
fined his  comments  for  publication  to  the  fol- 
lowing oijtimistic  statement :  ''Toomn  ^an 
not  bo  said  about  the  wealth  of  that  v.uole 
country.  The  Alaska  purchase  was  tho  crown- 
ing act  of  William  H.  Seward's  life." 

What  the  actual  conditions  at  the  Klondike 
diggings  are  and  have  been  since  the  first  big 
strike  there  in  the  midsummer  of  1896  will  be 
a  matter  of  more  interest  to  the  reader  than 
any  opinions  and  speculations  of  Eastern  *'ten- 
derfeet. " 

On  March  24,  1897,  Oscar  Ashby,  in  a  per- 
sonal letter  dated  at  Circle  City,  said  in  part : 

*'Our  town  is  very  quiet  at  present,  every 
one  having  gone  to  the  big  excitement  at  Klon- 
dike. Everybody  has  gone  crazy  over  it.  This 
country  has  an  unparalleled  future.  There 
are  thousands  of  acres  that  men  will  not,  in 
fact,    cannot,    look    at    until    provisions    are 


HUMAN  DOCUMENTS. 


89 


it  to 


who 

lows 

itly, 

1 

)  tbo 

con- 

^ful- 

4 

fly, 

^fiii 

§ 

^ 

S, 

nolo 

3wn- 

SI 

cheaper.  I  understand  that  wages  here  will 
be  $12  a  day.  There  is  not  enough  help  to 
supply  the  demand  on  the  creeks.  Dogs  are 
worth  all  kinds  of  money,  from  $75  to  $300 
each." 

Another  report  stated  that  live  dogs  were 
worth  from  $2  to  $5  a  pound,  being  a  scarce 
commodity  in  that  region.  Flour  at  Klondike 
was  worth  $100  a  sack  of  fifty  pounds,  and 
everything  else  in  proportion.  At  that  time 
(March,  '97),  according  to  a  private  letter  from 
a  miner,  who  is  perfectly  trustworthy,  gravel 
was  frozen  eighteen  to  twenty  feet  deep  to  bed 
rock.  He  says  :  ' '  We  burn  a  shaft  down  and 
then  drift,  using  fire  instead  of  powder.  The 
gravel  runs  in  gold  from  $5to$150a  pan,  and  the 
young  fellow  on  a  claim  above  me  panned  out 
$40,000  in  two  days.  I  was  offered  $250,000 
cash  for  my  claim.  I  still  hold  the  ground, 
and  will  be  either  a  millionaire  or  a  pauper  in 
the  fall.  Every  newcomer  in  the  camp  is 
offered  big  wages,  as  high  as  $50  a  day,  but 
seldom  will  any  one  work  for  another.  The 
only  phantom  that  stands  in  our  way  to  the 
goal  of  a  millionaire  is  grub.  I  have  provisions 
enough  to  last  me  till  next  June,  and  I  am  as 


r 


^(\ 


HUMAN  DOCUMENTS. 


well  fixed  as  any  man  in  the  country.  If  the 
boats  do  not  get  up  the  river  before  July  we 
will  be  in  hard  times." 

Doubtless  this  miner  was  able  to  lay  in  such 
food  supplies  as  he  required,  as  boats  went  up 
the  river  some  time  prior  to  July. 

On  July  14  the  steamer  Excelsior  arrived  in 
San  Francisco,  bringing  with  it  $250,000  in 
gold  dust  for  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company. 
The  same  steamer  brought  forty  miners  from 
the  new  Klondike  mines,  with  gold  amounting 
to  over  $500,000.  Eanging  in  size  from  a 
hazelnut  to  fine  birdshot  and  grains  of  sand, 
this  mass  of  yellow  gold  was  poured  out  on  the 
counter  at  Selby's  smelting  works  on  Mont- 
gomery street,  the  United  States  Mint  having 
closed  for  the  day  when  the  miners  arrived, 
and  then  shovelled  with  copper  scoops  into  the 
great  melting  pot.  Those  who  saw  the  gold 
in  one  heap  said  no  such  spectacle  had  been 
seen  in  'Frisco  since  the  days  of  '49,  when 
miners  used  to  come  down  there  from  the 
placer  districts  and  change  their  gold  for  $20 
pieces.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  T.  S.  Lippey,  who  left 
the  Golden  Gate  in  April,  1896,  were  the  luck- 
iest of  these  miners.     They  went  in  by  way  of 


i 


HUMAN  DOCUMENTS. 


41 


Juneau,  over  the  divide,  and  Mrs.  Lippey,  who 
is  email  and  sinewy,  with  skin  tanned  to  the 
color  of  sole  leather,  was  the  first  woman  to  go 
over  this  trail.  She  seemed  to  have  profited 
physically  as  well  as  pecuniarily  b}  her  hard- 
ships in  the  Yukon  territory,  and  the  antlers 
of  a  moose  which  she  exhibited  on  her  arrival 
testified  to  her  skill  as  a  rifle  shot.  The  Lip- 
peys  brought  back  $G0, 000.  Similar  instances 
of  good  luck  might  be  chronicled  here  indefi- 
nitely, but  it  is  far  from  the  purpose  of  this 
little  volume  to  mislead  any  one  by  relating 
only  the  stories  of  those  who  have  ' '  struck  it 
rich "  in  Alaska.  '  For  every  individual  on 
whom  fortune  will  smile  in  this  gre^it  unde- 
veloped country,  there  will  be  a  dozen  who  will 
T^erish  from  exposure  or  starvation,  or  come  to 
an  untimely  end  from  some  other  cause.  But 
it  were  foolish  to  pL^y  the  role  of  a  prophet  of 
evil  to  those  adve.'  .turous  spirits  who  are  seized 
with  the  gold  fever.  Many  of  them  will  go 
anyway — in  spite  of  friends'  dissuasions,  wives' 
tears  or  the  binding  ties  of  heme.  To  such 
men  there  is  advice  and  infonnatio]!  in  these 
pages  that  will  prove  invaluable. 


li 


But  more  is  to  be  said  conceniin 


o 


Av  won- 


Ml 


42 


HUMAN  DOCUMENTS. 


ii  ;: 


derful  discoveries  in  the  Upper  Yukon  region, 
nnd  we  shall  repeat  only  verified  facts  in  our 
effort  to  present  what  every  intelligent  Ameri- 
can citizen  ought  to  know.  The  steamer  Ex- 
celsior, to  which  we  have  alluded,  also  brought 
a  letter  from  one  of  the  officials  of  the  Alaska 
Commercial  Company,  at  Circle  City,  giving 
this  account  of  the  stampede  to  the  new  dig- 
gings : 

^'The  excitement  on  the  river  is  indescrib- 
able, and  the  output  of  the  new  Klondike  dis- 
trict is  almost  beyond  belief.  Men  who  had 
nothing  last  fall  are  now  worth  a  fortune.  One 
man  has  worked  forty  square  feet  of  his  claim, 
and  is  going  out  with  $40,000  in  dust.  One- 
quarter  of  the  claims  are  now  selling  at  from 
$15,000  to  150,000.  The  estimate  of  the  dis- 
trict is  given  as  thirteen  square  miles,  with  an 
average  of  $300,000  to  the  claim,  while  some 
are  valued  as  high  as  $1,000,000  each.  A 
number  of  claims  have  been  purchased  for  large 
sums  on  a  few  months'  credit,  and  the  amount 
has  been  paid  out  of  the  ground  before  it  be- 
canie  due. 

' '  At  Dawson  sacks  of  gold  dust  are  thrown 
under  tlie  counter  in  the  stores  for  safe  keeping. 


AMAMiiiiiii 


..v«4;.>*-^a6«««»*s»^ 


HUMAN  DOCUMENTS. 


48 


The  peculiar  part  of  it  is  that  most  of  the  loca- 
tions were  made  by  men  who  came  in  last  year, 
old-timers  not  having  had  faith  in  the  indica- 
tions until  the  value  of  the  region  was  assured, 
wliereupon  prices  jumped  so  high  that  they 
could  not  get  in.  Some  of  the  stories  are  so 
fabulous  I  am  afraid  to  repeat  them  for  fear  of 
being  suspected  of  the  infection. 

"  There  are  other  discoveries  reported  a  little 
beyond  and  on  the  Stewart  River,  but  these 
have  not  yet  been  verified.  Labor  is  $15  a  day 
and  board,  with  100  days'  work  guaranteed  ;  so 
you  can  imagine  'low  diflQcult  it  is  to  hold  em- 
ployees. Men  who  were  looking  for  bits  last 
year  are  now  talking  an^i  showing  thousands, 
and  the  air  is  full  of  millio^is.  If  the  reports 
are  true,  it  is  the  biggest  placer  disco\-'^ry  ever 
made  in  the  world,  for,  though  <  )ther  diggings 
have  been  found  quite  as  rich  in  spots,  no  such 
extent  of  dirt  has  been  known  which  prospected 
and  worked  so  high  right  through 

Mr.  J.  0.  Hestwood,  vrlio  has  spent  three 
years  in  Alaska,  has  given  a  very  good  descrip- 
tion of  the  chances  for  the  tenderfoot.  He 
says:  *^To  go  into  the  Yukon  requires  $250 
for  an  outfit,  and  about  the  same  amount  in 


44 


HUMAN  DOCUMENTS. 


cash.  To  do  anything  in  mining,  except  as  a 
day  laborer,  requires  from  $5,000  upward. 
The  rich  pay  dirt  is  only  struck  near  the  bed 
rock,  and  this  generally  lies  from  eighteen  to 
twenty-five  feet  below  the  surface.  The 
method  of  mining  is  to  remove  the  surface 
mass,  which  is  eighteen  inches  thick,  and  then 
build  a  fire,  which  burns  all  night.  In  the 
morning  the  gravel  is  shaved  down  about  two 
feet.  This  is  shovelled  out,  and  another  fire 
is  built,  and  in  this  slow  and  laborious  way  the 
ground  is  removed  to  bed  rock.  This  work  can 
be  carrieci  on  all  winter,  except  when  the  mer- 
cury falls  below  60^. 

* '  Dawson  City  is  having  a  remarkable  boom. 
Provisions  were  scarce  and  dear  last  winter, 
and  all  supplies  are  costly.  An  ordinary  75 
cents  pocket-knifo  sells  for  $4,  and  shoes  bring 
from  §6  to  88.  A  dog  sledge-load  of  eggs  was 
brought  in  last  winter  from  Juneau.  About 
half  were  spoiled,  but  the  whole  lot  sold  readily 
at  $4:  per  dozen.  Flour  sold  as  high  as  $1  a 
pound." 

Mr.  Hestwood  has  a  mino  in  the  new  Bonanza 
Creek  district.     He  thus  describes  his  output: 

The  gold  is  the  color  of  brass,  and  is  worth 


a 


iiWiiii 


(mgm 


aitmiiim 


HUMAN  DOCUMENTS. 


45 


a 


116  to  $17  an  ounce.  It  isn't  as  pure  gold  as 
is  found  elsewhere  on  the  Yukon.  We  didn't 
hear  of  McKinley's  election  until  last  June, 
but  there  were  few  silver  men  in  camp.  Some, 
however,  feared  that  gold  would  depreciate  in 
value  because  of  the  prospective  enormous  out- 
put of  these  mines.  Circle  City  and  Forty 
Mile  have  suffered  the  usual  fate  of  mining 
camps  which  have  petered  out,  only  these  camps 
have  not  petered  out.  When  gold  was  found  in 
such  astonishing  quantities  on  the  tributaries 
of  the  Klondike  the  whol'  population  of  those 
camps  moved  bodily  to  the  junction  of  the 
Klondike  and  Yukon  rivers,  where  Dawson 
City  is  established.  This  district,  the  richest 
placer  country  in  the  world,  was  discovered 
by  an  old  hunter  named  Cormack,  who  has 
a  squaw  for  a  wife  and  several  half  breed 
children. 

*'  It  is  easier  to  reach  Dawson  City  now  than 
when  the  discovery  of  gold  was  first  announced. 
Appliances  have  been  placed  at  all  the  moun- 
tain passes,  so  that  heavy  loads  are  pulled  up 
steep  inclines  and  let  down  on  the  other  side. 
I  look  for  a  big  rush  next  year,  and  there  will 
be  wonderful  stories  to  tell  when  the  season  is 


It 


46 


HUMAN  DOCUMENTS. 


!,;^f 


ended.  Dawson  City  is  not  a  paradise  by  any 
means,  but  there  are  much  worse  places. 

The  winter  cold  is  intense,  but  as  there  is 
plenty  of  timber  around  we  do  not  suffer.  Our 
summer  lasts  about  six  weeks,  but  during  that 
time  it  is  very  warai.  The  day  we  started  it 
was  93°  in  the  shade.  The  mosquito  is  our 
worst  enemy. " 

An  old  miner,  Alexander  Orr,  who  spent 
eight  years  in  Alaska  has  this  to  say  about 
Dawson:  *'It  is  not  like  most  of  the  mining 
camps.  It  is  not  a  tough  towTi;  murders  are 
almost  unknown.  The  miners  are  a  quiet, 
peaceable  kind  of  men,  who  have  gone  there  to 
work,  and  are  willing  that  everybody  else  shall 
have  an  equal  chance  with  themselves.  A  great 
deal  of  gambling  is  done  in  town,  but  serious 
quarrels  are  the  exception.  As  a  gambling 
town  I  think  it  is  equal  to  any  I  have  ever 
seen,  and  this,  by  the  way,  is  always  the  test 
of  a  mining  camp's  prosperity.  Stud  poker  is 
the  usual  game.  They  })lay  $1  ante,  and  often 
bet  $300  or  $500  on  the  third  card." 

The  following  short  interviews  with  returned 
miners  will  perhaps  convey  the  best  idea  of 
what  has  been  done  at  Dawson  and  vicinity: 


■^■■■■■gssaa^imitJiSES 


'■■<;:' ■■-wr^tii,"'^-'      ---'"'  v-A:^ji_ii.i;L4ffi 


HUMAN  DOCUMENTS. 


47 


(< 


f  I  went  to  Alaska  two  years  ago,"  said  Fred. 
Lendeseen,  "  and  when  I  left  there  I  brought 
with  me  $13,000  in  gold  dust.  I  have  had  con- 
siderable experieL  e  in  mining,  and  say  with- 
out hesitation  that  Alaska  is  the  richest  coun- 
try I  have  ever  seen.  I  have  an  interest  in  a 
claim  near  Dawson  and  am  going  back  in  the 
spring  of '98." 
Greg.  Stewart: 

<'I  had  a  partner  and  I  sold  out  my  in- 
terest for  $4:5,000  and  put  my  money  back 
again  at  interest  in  mines.  My  partner  had 
1,500  ounces  of  dust,  but  it  fell  short  four 
oimces  on  the  way  down.  The  dust  will  go 
over  $17  an  ounce,  but  we  are  all  waiting  for 
returns  from  the  smelting  works.  I  brought  a 
few  hundred  ornces  with  me,  but  I  get  interest 
of  two  per  cent,  on  short  loans." 
William  Kulju: 

<<I  brought  down  just  1,000  ounces  of  dust 
and  sold  it  to  smelting  works.  I  worked  at 
El  Dorado  Creek,  near  Dawson,  and  was  in 
that  country  about  a  year  and  had  a  couple  of 
dollars  and  a  pack  last  summer  when  I  went 
in.  I  sold  my  claim  for  $25, 000,  part  cash  and 
the  balance  to  be  paid  as  it  is  taken  out.     Now 


; 


'I 

■  'i    i 
v. 


48 


HUMAN  DOCtJMENTS. 


I  am  taking  a  trip  to  the  old  country — Fin- 
land— and  am  coming  back  in  1898." 

Con.  Stamatim: 

<*Iwas  mining  on  shares  with  a  partner. 
He's  still  there.  We  worked  on  Alexander  Mc- 
Donald's ground  in  El  Dorado  for  forty-five 
days  and  took  out  $33,000.  We  got  fifty  per 
cent,  and  the  other  half  went  to  McDonald. 
Then  we  divided  our  share  and  I  came  away." 

Thomas  Hack: 

*' My  dust  will  bring  more  than  $6,000.  I 
have  an  interest  in  two  claims  on  the  El 
Dorado.  One  partner  sold  out  for  $50,000  and 
another  for  $55,000.  I  had  an  offer  of  $60,000, 
but  refused  just  before  I  came  out." 

Robert  Kooks: 

'' I've  been  four  years  in  Alaska.  I  had  a 
half  interest  in  a  claim  on  El  Dorado  Creek  and 
sold  out  to  my  partner  for  $12,000.  I  bought 
a  half  interest  in  a  claim  on  the  Bonanza,  be- 
low the  Discovery  claim,  and  my  share  is  worth 
easily  $1 5, 000.  I  brought  $14, 000  in  gold  dust, 
and  shall  return  in  the  spring  of  '98  after  rest 
and  recreation." 

Thomas  Cook: 

"It  is  a  good  country,  but  if  there  is  a  rush 


i<j»!S#^i*»^''*- 


HUMAN  DOCUMENTS. 


4:9 


there's  going  to  be  a  great  deal  of  suffering. 
Over  2,000  men  are  there  at  present  and  2,000 
more  will  be  in  before  snow  falls.  I've  been  at 
placer  mining  for  years  in  California  and  Brit- 
ish Columbia,  and  the  mines  at  Dawson  are 
more  extensive  and  beyond  anything  I  ever 
saw.  Last  year  I  did  very  well  at  Dawson. 
I  have  a  claim  worth  about  the  average,  they 
run  from  $25,000  to  $50,000,  on  Boar  Creek, 
across  the  divide  from  the  Bonanza." 

M.  S.  Norcross: 

*'I  was  sick  and  couldn't  work,  so  I  cooked 
for  Mr.  McNamee.  Still  I  had  a  claim  on  the 
Bonanza,  but  didn't  know  what  was  in  it,  be- 
cause I  couldn't  work  it.  I  sold  out  last 
spring  for  $10,000,  and  was  satisfied  to  get  a 
chance  to  return  to  my  home  in  Los  Angeles." 

John  Marks: 

** I  brought  $11,600  in  gold  dust  with  me, 
but  I  had  to  work  for  every  bit  of  it.  There  is 
plenty  of  gold  in  Alaska,  more,  I  believe,  than 
the  most  sanguine  imagine,  but  it  can  not  be 
obtained  without  great  effort  and  endurance. 
The  first  thing  for  a  poor  man  to  do  when  he 
reaches  the  country  is  to  begin  prospecting. 
As  snow  is  from  two  to  five  feet  deep,  prospect- 


flH 


il' 


50 


HXnUAN  DOCUMENTS. 


ing  is  not  very  easy.  Snow  must  first  be 
shovelled  away,  and  then  a  fire  built  on  the 
ground  to  melt  the  ice.  As  the  ground  thaws 
the  shaft  must  be  sunk  until  bed  rock  is 
reached.  The  average  prospector  has  to  sink 
a  great  many  shafts  before  he  reaches  any- 
thing worth  his  while.  If  gold  is  found  in 
sufficient  quantities  to  pay  for  working,  he 
may  begin  drifting  from  the  shaft,  and  con- 
tinue to  do  so  as  long  as  he  finds  enough  gold 
to  pay." 

S.  B.  Hollinshead: 

' '  I  was  in  the  diggings  about  two  years  and 
brought  out  about  1,500  ounces,  which  I  sup- 
pose will  bring  $17  an  ounce.  I'm  not  sure 
about  going  back,  though  I  have  a  claim  on 
Gold  Bottom  Creek,  fifteen  miles  from  Bonanza. 
It  is  less  than  a  year  since  I  located  my  claim. 
My  dust  will  bring  over  $25,000." 

Albert  Fox: 

**  My  partner  and  I  went  into  the  district  in 
1895  and  secured  two  claims.  We  sold  one 
for  $45,000.  I  brought  300  ounces,  which 
netted  $5,000.  Everybody  is  at  Dawson  for 
the  present.  The  district  is  apt  to  be  overrun. 
I  wouldn't  advise  anyone  to  go  there  this  fall 


. >.^   ^..„.......J*!g--^     '•'^  -   --'■'  --  ^.^-.^ifllo.^ 


<^=*is 


y 


^\ 


MAP    OP    YUKON    DIGGINa3.-ARBOTV8    SHOW    MOEKS'   ROUTE. 


f.'4 


1 


I 


> 
d 

a 
a 

n 
o 
d 

B 


3 


f' 


hiiii 


iiiiii 


ri 


HITMAN  DOCUMENTS. 


61 


\ 


< 


('97)  for  people  are  likely  to  go  hungry  before 
next  spring." 

The  founder  of  Dawson  City  is  James  Ladue, 
who  has  been  in  Alaska  for  fifteen  years.  He  did 
not  strike  it  rich  until  the  discovery  of  gold  in 
Bonanza  Creek.  On  July  IGth,  1897,  Mr.  Ladue 
made  the  following  statements  to  a  newspaper 
correspondent  in  San  Francisco:  f"  Dawson  City 
is  not  unlike  some  of  the  mining  towns  here  in 
this  State  (California)  and  elsewhere,  with  the 
difference  that  no  lawlessness  exists.  The 
people  realize  that  they  must  depend  to  a  cer- 
tain extent  on  one  another,  though  the  Cana- 
dian Government  has  been  a  powerful  factor 
in  keeping  down  the  unruly.  The  history  of 
Dawson  City  is  interesting.  I  built  the  first 
house  in  it  and  raised  the  first  American  flag.^ 
The  discovery  of  gold  in  that  immediate  local- 
ity was  made  by  Robert  Henderson,  who  had 
been  prospecting  for  years  in  the  great  north- 
west at  a  place  called  Gold  Bottom,  although 
George  W.  Cormack  brought  to  light  the  riches 
of  Bonanza  Creek.  As  soon  as  news  of  the 
great  find  reached  Circle  City  and  Forty  Mile 
men  threw  up  their  claims  and  hastened  to  the 
new  fields.     There  was  promise  of  trouble  at 


{ 


62 


HUMAN  DOCUMENTS. 


I 


I 
I 


first  because  the  men  were  crazed  over  the 
prospect,  but  cooler  heads  finally  prevailed  and 
a  meeting  was  held  on  the  banks  of  the  creek 
and  ground  was  allotted  to  each  man.  The 
claims  were  cut  from  500  to  100,  an-"'  there  w^as 
again  a  threat  c!  trouble  until  the  Dominion 
Surveyor,  William  Ogilv' ),  arrived  and  resur- 
veyed  all  claims.  Under  the  new  ruling  each 
claim  extends  500  feet  along  the  bottom  of  the 
creek,  the  width  being  governed  by  the  dis- 
tance betw^een  the  mountains.  This  will  aver- 
age 600  feet,  though  there  are  some  claims 
1,000  feet  w^ide." 

On  July  17,  1897,  the  st<3amship  Portland, 
belonging  to  the  North  American  Transpor- 
tation and  Trading  Company,  reached  Seattle 
diiect  from  St.  Mi(!haerSj  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Yukon  River  in  Alaska,  with  sixty-eight  pas- 
sengers— mostly  miners  fresh  from  t)ie  Klon- 
dike placer  mining  district,  from  which  more 
than  $1,500,000  gold  was  taken  in  thd  winter 
of  1396-7. 

These  argonauts  brought  back  one  and  one- 
half  tons  of  gold  in  nuggets  and  dust,  wor-th 
in  round  numbers  $1,000,000.  They  reported 
that  from  San  Francisco  to  the  f  urtheimost  point 


'V\ 


HUMAN  DOCUMENTS. 


58 


''er  the 
ed  and 
creek 
The 
're  was 
ninion 
resiir- 
■  each 
of  the 
le  dis- 
l  aver- 
claima 

tland, 
nspor- 
'cattle 
)f  the 
b  pas- 
Klon- 
more 
dnter 

one- 
voiih 

3rted 
point 


in  Alaska  the  coast  was  wild  with  the  excite- 
ment growing  out  of  the  fabulous  finds  in  the 
Klondike.  It  is  fifty  miles  by  river  from  Forty 
Mile,  on  the  Alaska  boundary,  to  the  scene  of 
the  recent  finds,  and  about  forty  miles  in  a 
straight  line. 

William  Stanley  of  Seattle,  formerly  a  black- 
smith, went  into  Alaska  in  1895.  He  returned 
home  with  ^115,000  in  gold  nuggets  and  dust. 
His  claim  is  on  the  Bonanza  Creek,  five  miles 
above  Dawson  City. 

Clarence  Berry,  formerly  a  farmer  of  Fresno, 
Cal.,  brought  back  seven  sacks  containing 
$135,000,  having  Q-one  to  he  Yukon  in  1894, 
''My  luck  was  bad  for  three  years,"  said  he 
to  an  interviewer.  '*  Last  fall  I  came  out  and 
married,  and  when  I  went  back  I  heard  of  the 
Klondike.  I  was  early  on  the  grounds,  locating 
with  other  parties  three  claims  on  El  Dorado 
Creek.  Wo  struck  it  rich.  That's  all  there 
is  to  tell.  L-^st  winter  I  took  out  8130,000  in 
thirty  box  Iv^r.gths.  A  box  length  is  12  by  15 
feet,  and  in  one  length  I  found  $10,000.  An- 
other time  the  second  largest  nugget  ever 
found  in  the  Yukon  was  taken  out  of  my 
claim.     It  wjighed  thirteen  ounces  and  was 


.; 


54 


HUMAN  DOCUMENTS. 


■I 


worth  $213.  I  have  known  men  to  take  out 
$1,000  a  day  from  a  drift  claim.  Of  course 
the  gold  was  found  in  pockets  und  those  finds, 
you  can  rest  assured,  were  very  scarce.  I  would 
not  advise  a  man  to  take  in  an  outfit  that  would 
cost  less  than  $500.  He  must  expect  to  be  dis- 
appointed and  the  chances  are  that  he  may  work 
for  years  without  finding  a  paying  claim,  and 
again  he  may  be  lucky  enough  to  strike  it 
rich.  The  country  is  wild,  rough,  and  full  of 
hardships  for  those  unused  to  the  regions  of 
Arctic  winter.  If  a  man  makes  a  fortune  he 
is  liable  to  earn  it  by  severe  hardships  and  suf- 
ferings, but  then  grit,  ^perseverance  and  luck 
will  probably  reward  hard  work  with  a  com- 
fortable income  for  life." 

Henry  Anderson,  a  native  of  Sweden,  came 
back  to  Seattle  with  $45,000  spot  cash,  the  pro- 
ceeds of  the  sale  of  a  one-half  interest  in  a 
claim  on  El  Dorado  Creek.  T.  J.  Kelly  and  son 
of  Tacoma  went  into  the  diggings  in  1896  and 
made  $10,000.  The  son  is  in  charge  of  the 
claim,  the  father  having  returned  on  the  Port- 
land. 

Frank  Keller  of  Los  Angeles,  went  to  the 
gold   fields   in  1896,  mined  during  the  winter 


jh^|j|_^ 


UUlMiiu^iHiMMiliii 


*iltea(«^''*i*a«»*««>^t'«i*«*4i«>-W'-i»^^ 


take  out 
f  course 
)se  finds, 

I  would 

at  would 

;o  be  dis- 

ay  work 

dm,  and 

itrike  it 

,  full  of 

gions  of 

rtune  he 

and  suf- 

md  luck 

a  com- 

m,  came 
the  pro- 
3st  in  a 
'  and  son 
896  and 
3  of  the 
he  Port- 

\>  to  the 
J  winter 


HUMAN  DOCUMENTS. 


65 


u 


and  sold  his  claim  iov  $35, 000.  William  Sloat, 
formerly  a  dry  goods  merchant  of  Lanimo,  B. 
C,  sold  his  claim  for  152,000,  and  with  the 
gold  he  took  from  the  mine  came  back  on  the 
Portland.  Another  man  named  Wilkenson  of 
Lanimo,  sold  his  claim  for  $40,000  and  came 
back  to  stay. 

Jack  Home,  a  pugilist  of  Tacoma,  dug  up 
$0,000  and  left  the  field  for  good.  Frank 
Phiscator  of  Baroda,  Mich.,  returned  with 
$9G,000^  the  result  of  his  labors  in  Miles. 

J.  Keller^  who  did  well  in  Klondike,  returned 
on  the  Portland,  and  had  this  to  say  about  the 
country:  '*  It  was  68  degrees  below  zero  last 
winter  and  the  ground  was  frozen  to  the  depth 
of  forty  feet.  The  snow  doesn't  fall  to  any 
great  depth,  three  feet  being  the  greatest,  and 
that  was  light  and  fleecy  frost.  All  the  gold  is 
taken  out  of  gravel  by  thawing  in  the  summer. 
There  are  nine  months  of  winter.  We  left 
Dawson  City  on  a  river  steamer  on  June  19, 
and  were  eight  days  reaching  St.  Michaels, 
1,800  miles.  The  weather  in  Klondike  was 
warm  and  sultry,  much  warmer  than  it  seemed 
and  mosquitoes  were  in  myriads.  They  are  in 
the  water  one  drinks.     Tliey  give  a  man  no 


I 


/If 

m  r.if 


J^' 


J 


'  f  °;,-v>' '.wf-?.^' 


^aaSB^BBHi^K' 


56 


HUMAN  DOCUMENTS. 


I 
I 


I 


rest  day  or  night.  It  is  a  horrible  country  to 
live  in,  but  it  is  extremly  healthy.  Every  man 
is  on  his  good  behavior  and  for  a  mining  country 
has  as  good,  orderly,  law-abiding  citizens  as  I 
ever  saw. " 

Americans,  who  emigrated  en  masse  from 
Forty  Mile,  the  Alaska  diggings,  and  from 
Circle  City,  when  the  news  of  the  great  strikes 
reached  these  places  in  the  spring  of  1897,  are 
largely  in  the  majority  among  the  claim  owners 
in  the  Klondike  country. 

There  are  two  routes  that  lead  into  the 
Klondike.  By  steamer  from  Seattle  to  St. 
Michaels,  and  then  by  river  boat  up  the  Yu- 
kon to  Dawson  City,  is  the  best  but  the  more 
expensive  route,  which  takes  thirty-five  to 
forty  days,  the  cost  being  $180.  Each  steam- 
er passenger  is  allowed  but  160  pounds  of 
baggage.  The  other  is  a  land  route  by  way 
of  Juneau,  over  which  it  is  impossible  to  carry 
any  large  quantity  of  provisions,  as  every 
pound  of  supplies  must  be  carried  on  Indians* 
l)acks  over  Chilkoot  Pass  and  by  frequent  por- 
tages separating  the  lakes  and  streams  on  this 
overland  route.  Dogs  are  also  used  in  sled- 
ding supplies  over    the  mountains  to  camp. 


'»«««»«:«i(«.*»i!*«rtn-- 


HUMAN  DOCUMENTS. 


67 


)untry  to 
very  man 
country 
zens  as  I. 

sse  from 
md  from 
at  strikes 
1897,  are 
m  owner's 

into   the 
te   to   St. 
p  the  Yu- 
the  more 
fey-five    to 
,ch  steam- 
pounds  of 
be  by  way 
[e  to  carry 
as    every 
1  Indians' 
luent  por- 
ns  on  this 
d  in  sled- 
to  camp. 


Because  of  fierce  storms,  the  Juneau  route 
after  September  16  is  impassable  to  all  except 
Indians,  and  even  they  sometimes  perish  on 
the  journey.  This  trip  is  described  by  Joseph 
Ladue,  who  owns  the  town  site  of  Dawson 
City,  in  this  wise  :  * '  Leaving  Juneau,  you  go 
to  Dyea  by  way  of  Lime  Canal,  and  from  there 
to  Lake  Linderman,  thirty  miles  on  foot,  or 
portage,  as  we  call  it.  The  lake  gives  you  a 
ride  of  five  or  six  miles,  and  then  follows  an- 
other long  journey  overland  to  the  head  waters 
of  Lake  Bennett,  which  is  twenty-eight  miles 
long.  On  foot  you  go  again  for  several  miles, 
and  then  the  caribou  crossing  of  the  river  fur- 
nishes transportation  for  four  miles  to  Tagish 
Lake,  where  another  twenty-one-mile  boat  ride 
may  be  had. 

* '  This  is  followed  by  a  weary  stretch  of 
mountainous  country,  and  then  Marsh  or  Mud 
Lake  is  reached.  You  get  another  boat  ride  of 
twenty-four  miles,  and  then  go  down  the  creek 
for  twenty-seven  miles  to  Miles  Canon  and  to 
White  Horse  Rapids. 

"This  is  one  of  the  most  dangerous  places 
on  the  entire  route,  and  should  be  avoided  by 
all  strangers.     The  stream  is  full  of  sunken 


58 


HUMAN  DOCUMENTS. 


•  r 


rocks  and  runs  with  the  speed  of  a  mill-race. 
Passing  White  Horse  Eapids,  the  journey  is 
down  the  river  for  thirty  miles  to  Lake  La- 
barge,  where  thirty-one  miles  of  navigable 
water  is  found.  Another  short  poi*tage  and 
Lous  River  is  reached,  where  you  have  a  200- 
mile  journey,  which  brings  you  to  Fort  Sel- 
kirk. At  this  point  Pelly  and  Lous  Rivers 
come  together,  forming  the  Yukon.  From 
that  point  on  is  practically  smooth  sailing, 
though  the  stranger  must  he  exceedingly  care- 
ful. 

'*It  may  be  said  with  absolute  truth  that 
Dawson  City  is  one  of  the  most  moral  towns  of 
its  kind  in  the  world.  There  is  little  or  no 
quaiTelling  and  no  brawls  of  any  kind,  though 
there  is  considerable  drinking  and  gambling. 
Every  man  carries  a  pistol  if  he  wishes  to,  yet 
it  is  a  rare  occurrence  when  one  is  displayed. 
The  principal  sport  with  mining  men  is  found 
around  the  gambling  table.  There  they  gather 
after  nightfall  and  play  until  the  late  hours  in 
the  morning.  They  have  some  big  games,  too. 
It  sometimes  costs  as  much  as  $50  to  draw  a 
card.  A  game  with  $2,000  as  stakes  is  an  or- 
dinary event.     But  with  all  of  that  there  has 


.Htmwmmtxn^ 


""°S(VflW«||(to!*ix.v!S  .&...,»-,  *i„ .. . 


HUMAN   DOCUMENTS. 


50 


mill-race, 
ourney  is 
Lake  La- 
navigable 
rtage  and 
,ve  a  200- 
Fort  Sel- 
ms  Rivers 
)n.     From 
ih  sailing, 
ingly  care- 
truth  that 
al  towns  of 
ittle  or  no 
[id,  though 
gambling. 
;hes  to,  yet 
displayed, 
n  is  found 
hey  gather 
;e  hours  in 
fames,  too. 
to  draw  a 
3S  is  an  or- 
there  has 


I 

■ii 


not  been  decided  trouble.  If  a  man  is  fussy 
and  quarrelsome  he  is  quietly  told  to  get  out  of 
the  game,  and  that  is  the  end  of  it.  Many 
people  have  an  idea  that  Dawson  City  is  com- 
pletely isolated  and  can  communicate  with  the 
outside  world  only  once  in  every  twelve 
months.  That  is  a  big  mistake,  however. 
Circle  City,  only  a  few  miles  away,  has  a  mail 
once  each  month,  and  there  we  have  our  mail 
addressed.  It  is  true  the  cost  is  pretty  high, 
$1  a  letter  and  $2  for  a  paper;  yet  by  that  ex- 
penditure of  money  we  are  able  to  keep  in 
direct  communication  with  our  friends  on  the 
outside.  In  the  way  of  public  institutions  our 
camp  is  at  present  without  any,  but  by  next 
season  we  will  have  a  church,  a  music-hall,  a 
schoolhouse  and  a  hospital.  This  last  institu- 
tion will  be  under  the  direct  control  of  the 
Sisters  of  Mercy,  who  have  already  been  sta- 
tioned for  a  long  time  at  Circle  City  and  Forty 
Mile  Camp. 

"  Nearly  a  score  of  children  were  in  Dawson 
City  when  I  left,  so  I  donated  a  lot  and  $100 
for  a  school.  No  one  can  buy  anything  on 
credit  in  Dawson.     It  is  spot  cash  for  every 


w 


CO 


HUMAN  DOCUMENTS. 


1  'f 


•I 


one,  and  payment  is  always  gold  dust.     Very 
few  have  any  regular  money." 

At  this  writing  Dawson  promises  to  have 
SO,  000  or  more  before  the  spring  of  '98,  when 
a  new  route  to  the  Klondike  will  be  ()i)ened 
from  Juneau  to  Fort  Selkirk,  on  the  Yukon, 
overland.  It  has  been  inspected  and  pro- 
nounced practicable  by  Capt.  Goodall  of  the 
Pacific  Coast  Steamship  Company.  It  crosses 
the  divide  over  Chilkat  Pass,  which  is  lower 
and  more  easily  traversed  than  Chilkoot  Pass. 
This  trail  is  named  from  old  Pioneer  Dalton 
and  is  about  YOO  miles  long.  No  lakes  or 
rivers  are  on  the  route,  the  trail  running  over 
a  high  level  prairie,  ^^4lich  is  well  adapted  for 
driving  r^tock,  but  for  men  the  tramp  is  too 
long. 

Mr.  H.  A.  Stanley,  the  proprietor  of  the 
Binghamton  Evening  Herald,  went  to  Alaska 
for  his  health  in  1896.  He  spent  the  winter 
on  St.  Michael  Island,  and  was  the  only  news- 
paper man  who  witnessed  the  arrival  of  the 
"  Portus  B.  Weare,"  the  first  passenger  steam- 
er to  reach  there  from  up  the  mighty  river, 
after  the  great  discoveries  in  Klondike.  Mr. 
Stanley  sent  an  interesting  letter  to  his  paper 


i  i 


HUMAN  DOCUMENTS. 


Gi 


dust.     Very 

ises  to  have 
of  '98,  when 
ill  be  {)i)ened 
In  the  Yukon, 
ed  and  pro- 
oodall  of  the 
y.  It  crosses 
^hich  is  lower 
hilkoot  Pass. 

ioneer  Dalton 
No  lakes  or 
running  over 

sll  adapted  iov 
tramp  is  too 

prietor  of  the 
rent  to  Alaska 
tit  the  winter 
;he  only  news- 
arrival  of  the 
isenger  steam- 
mighty  river, 
londike.  Mr. 
•  to  his  paper 


dated  June  27,  1897.  From  the  letter  are  here 
given  a  few  graphic  excerpts  : 

"The  Weare  steamed  around  the  low  head- 
land and  drowned  the  frantic  cheering  of  the 
crowds  on  both  banks  with  its  hoarse  whistle. 
The  Portland  and  Excelsior,  drawing  in  excess 
of  nineteen  feet  of  water,  were  obliged  to  lie 
out  a  mile  or  more  from  shore,  but  the  Weare, 
built  for  river  traffic,  and  drawing  only  a  few 
feet,  was  enabled  to  steam  up  the  shallow  har- 
bor and  touch  the  dock.  As  she  steamed  near, 
friends  who  had  not  met  in  months  or  years 
greeted  one  another  from  deck  to  deck,  and 
wives  and  children,  who  had  come  to  meet 
fathers  and  husbands,  frantically  threw  kisses, 
and  wept  and  laughed  by  turns.  A  more  ex- 
cited throng  was  never  seen. 

"That  the  Weare  brought  good  news  was 
evident.  Husbands,  fathers  and  friends  held 
up  nuggets  of  glittering  gold  or  bags  of  it 
before  the  eyes  of  those  aboard  the  Portland, 
and  the  news  was  shouted  across  that  a  great 
strike  had  been  made.  *  Circle  City  is  busted, ' 
*  Only  three  white  men  live  in  it,'  *  The  Klon- 
dike is  the  richest  mining  region  on  earth  to- 
day; hurrah  for  the  new  proposition,'  *  Circle 


PI 


M 

I' 


ii? 


62 


HUMAN  DOCUMENTS. 


![»! 


-  i: 

1  , 

J I 

i'i 

I 

I;; 


:  I, 


City  is  the  silent  city.'  These  aud  kindred 
shouts  rent  the  air.  There  was  as  great  de- 
sire in  the  Portland  to  hear  the  news  from  up 
the  river  as  there  had  been  at  St.  Michael  to 
hear  from  the  outer  world.  *  *  *  i  talked 
wiih  many  of  the  returning  miners.  One,  a 
poor  boy  of  t  enty-three,  seemed  dying  of 
scurvy.  In  answer  to  my  questions  as  to  how 
])ig  a  stake  he  had,  he  raised  his  glassy  eyes 
and  said,  '  don't  ask  me  questions.  I've  had 
good  luck  and  hard  luck.'  I  was  told  that  he 
had  about  $70,000  for  his  eighteen  months  of 
privations,  but  that  he  had  hardly  paid  ex- 
penses before  he  made  his  strike  in  December, 
1896.  *  *  *  A  captain  of  mounted  police 
told  me  that  the  news  of  the  great  strike  in 
the  Klondike  did  not  get  to  Circle  City  until 
December  15,  '96,  when  there  was  a  stam- 
pede." 

A  great  many  of  the  gold  seekers  go  from 
San  Francisco,  but  an  equal,  probably  greater, 
number  will  doubtless  be  setting  out  from 
Seattle,  the  facilities  for  travel  from  that  port 
having  been  increased  by  the  transportation 
companies,  and,  of  course,  they  will  be  further 
increased  to  meet  future  requirements. 


IB 


-^. 


-'>''»J*«»Utl«^i«#';.»s*^ft,S»-4^^  . 


iSSSiuiUSamjBMit 


HUMAN   DOCUMENTS. 


68 


* 


11(1   kindred 
.8  great  de- 
ws from  up 
Michael  to 
I  talked 
jrs.     One,  a 
d   dying  of 
is  as  to  how 
glassy  eyes 
I've  had 
told  that  he 
months  of 
lly  paid  ex- 
i  December, 
iinfced  police 
eat  strike  in 
le  City  until 
as   a  stam- 

irs  go  from 
bly  greater, 
:  out  from 
n  that  i)ort 
msportation 
1  be  further 
its. 


A  former  superintendent  of  the  public  schools 
of  Seattle,  W.  P.  C.  Richardson,  who  spent 
several  }  (  ars  on  the  Yukon,  gives  the  following 
account  oi  nis  observations  : 

' '  The  Klondike  is  a  stream  several  hundred 
miles  long,  as  nearly  as  can  be  estimated,  and 
from  200  to  300  feet  wide,  exceedingly  rapid 
and  difficult  to  navigate,  by  reason  of  swift 
cuiTent  and  overhanging  trees,  or  sweepers,  as 
they  are  called  in  that  country.  Its  waters 
were  clear  before  the  discovery  of  gold,  but 
they  are  now  muddy  from  the  wash  of  sluice 
boxes.  The  mines  are  not  on  the  Klondike 
proper,  but  on  Bonanza,  Hunter,  Beai  and 
other  creeks.  The  Bonanza  empties  into  the 
Klondike  about  a  mile  from  its  mouth.  Hun- 
ter Creek  is  fourteen  miles  above,  while  El 
Dorado  is  a  branch  of  Bonanza,  branching  off 
several  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  Klondike. 
The  stories  of  the  wonderful  product  of  the 
rivers  and  creeks  I  have  named  are  not  in  the 
least  exaggerated.  On  the  contrary,  the  true 
story  remains  to  be  told.  From  what  I  have 
seen  of  it,  I  think  it  has  a  solid  bottom,  good 
for  the  next  twenty-five  years  as  a  placer  min- 
ing country,  such  as  the  world  has  rarely  pro- 


I 


'^% 


■I 


64 


HUMAN  DOCUMENTS. 


i 


duced.  As  soon  as  transportation  facilities  are 
secured,,  it  will  not  be  a  bad  country  to  live  in. 
Stewart  River,  farther  up,  in  my  opinion,  is 
equally  rich.  It  was  prosj^ected  in  1880,  and 
its  bars  panned  out  as  high  as  $100  to  a  man 
in  one  day.  The  river  diggings  along  Stewart 
River  were  only  abandoned  by  reason  of  their 
being  so  remote  from  the  base  of  supply  at  the 
time  to  which  I  refer.  Like  the  Klondike,  this 
river  has  its  source  in  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
The  Rockies  here  present  the  same  general 
appearance  of  the  Cascade  range  as  seen  from 
Seattle.  These  mountains  have  not  been  pros- 
pected, and  they  present  an  exceedingly  at- 
tractive field  to  the  prospector.  In  my  opinion, 
they  not  only  contain  placer  groimd,  but  very 
rich  quartz.  Stewart  River  is  larger  than  the 
Klondike,  and  Will  soon  be  a  scene  of  greater 
activity  than  is  now  witnessed  on  the  tribu- 
taries of  the  Klondike." 

As  so  many  interests  are  concentrated  in 
and  about  Dawson  City,  it  is  pertinent  to  quote 
the  latest  statements,  at  this  writing,  of  Joseph 
Ladue,  who  built  the  first  cabin  there,  erected 
the  first  sawmill  and  secured  the  patent  to  the 
site  which  he  is  said  to  be  selling  in  lots  in  reg- 


% 


HUMAN  DOCUMENTS. 


t>5 


lilities  are 

bo  live  in. 

[pinion,  is 

11880,  and 

to  a  man 

|g  Stewart 

of  their 

•ply  at  the 

Qclike,  this 

loun  tains. 

le  general 

seen  from 

been  pros- 

)dingiy  at- 

ay  opinion, 

1,  but  very 

r  than  the 

of  greater 

the  tribu- 

ntrated  in 
nt  to  quote 
,  of  Joseph 
sre,  erected 
bent  to  the 
lots  in  reg- 


ulation boom  town  style.     He  tells  the  story  as 
follows  : 

''I  went  north  in  the  summer  of  '82,  and 
landed  at  Sixty  Mile  Creek,  in  the  Northwest 
Territory,  but  iLad  no  luck  at  all.  I  next  tried 
the  Stewart  River,  and  mined  for  one  summer 
in  the  bar  diggings,  as  they  call  them.  These 
are  deposits  of  fine  gold  brought  down  by  the 
rivers  from  the  glacial  regions  and  lodged  in 
bars  formed  by  the  eddies  in  the  river.  I  did 
a  little  better  there,  but  did  not  begin  to  get 
much,  so  I  went  to  Belle  Isle  Station,  in 
Alaska,  and  started  trading  for  the  Alaska 
Oonnnercial  Company.  I  kept  that  up  until 
the  fall  of  1886,  when  I  went  to  Forty  Mile 
Creek,  and  did  well  at  bar  and  gulch  diggings 
•«t  the  first  gulch  in  the  river,  which  is  known 
as  Franklin  Gulch,  because  the  first  rich  strike 
was  made  there  by  H.  H.  Franklin,  who 
founded  the  town  of  Juneau.  I  mined  for  two 
whole  summers  at  Forty  Mile  Creek,  and  then 
went  over  the  boundary  line,  about  300  miles, 
to  Fort  Selkirk,  v/here  I  began  ranching.  I 
raised  potatoes,  turnips,  radishes,  cabbages, 
barley  and  oats,  but  the  frost  nipped  almost 
everything,  and  I  struck  out  again  by  estab- 
lishing Sixty  Mile  Fort,  or  Ogilvie  Fort,  as  a 
trading  post.  I  put  up  a  sawmill  for  the 
Alaska  Commercial  Company  and  remained 
there  until  last  fall. 

Robert  Hendei-son  was  prospecting  for  me. 


ill 


i( 


•;?  <.f^ 


66 


HUMAN  DOCUMENTS. 


.1 
■X 


and  I  have  helped  him  out  for  four  years.  In 
fact,  I  kept  him  going.  If  I  had  not  the 
chances  are  that  Klondike  would  never  have 
been  discovered. 

"  '  Rich?'  I  don't  dare  to  say  how  rich  it 
is.  It  is  richer  than  any  man  has  any  thought 
of,  and  I  am  feariul  only  that  people  will  rush 
in  there  in  such  numbers  that  they  will  create 
a  famine. 

' '  I  founded  the  town  of  Dawson,  and  gave 
it  the  name  of  Mr.  Dawson,  who  had  charge 
Df  the  first  surveying  party  for  the  Canadian 
Govermnent  in  1885.  He  is  a  very  able  and 
sociable  man,  and  I  named  the  town  site  as  a 
little  compliment  to  him.  It  is  the  most  suit- 
able place  that  could  be  found  in  all  that 
region,  because  it  is  fine,  level  ground,  with 
good  landing  at  the  water's  edge,  and  behind 
it  is  rolling  country.  The  Klondike  district  is 
about  twelve  miles  off.  I  moved  the  sawmill 
to  Dawson  last  fall  ('96),  and  it  is  running 
steadily.  The  men  stand  behind  one  another 
waiting  to  obtain  their  lumber,  and  it  was  all 
I  could  do  to  supi)ly  the  demand.  When  I 
first  located  the  town,  and  built  the  first  cabin, 
the  surveyors  of  the  Canadian  Government 
staked  it  out  and  I  was  made  Postmaster,  but 
I  had  too  much  other  work  to  do,  and  had  to 
give  up  being  a  public  official.  The  town  is 
laid  out  in  streets  and  avenues,  numbered  in 


4- 


-M 


-^ 


irs.  In 
not  the 
er  have 

V  rich  it 
hought 
ill  rush 
11  create 

nd  gave 
charge 
'anadian 
ible  and 
site  as  a 
ost  suit- 
ill  that 
lid,  with 
I  behind 
istrict  is 
sawmill 
running 
another 
was  all 
When  I 
5t  cabin, 
3rnment 
iter,  but 
had  to 
town  is 
be  red  in 


3 
'& 


•i' 


PICTOIUAL    MAP— JUNEAU    TO    KLOTIDIKE   . 

-S.  Y.  Herald. 


68 


HUMAN  DOCUMENTS. 


1^ 


American  stylo,  all  the  streets  running  one 
way  and  the  avenues  across. 

' '  Now,  as  to  these  sti'ikes  made  there  since 
last  fall,  they  have  been  rich  in  almost  every 
instance.  I  have  been  offered  $100,000  for  my 
interests  there  just  as  they  stand,  but  I  would 
not  sell  for  three  times  that  amount.  The 
offer  has  been  made  to  me  in  coin,  but  I  de- 
clined, because  I  know  what  I  have  got  there, 
and  I  know  how  to  hold  on  to  it.  Many  of  the 
men  who  have  come  down  here  with  a  few 
thousand  won't  have  a  dollar  of  it  in  six 
months.  There  is  plenty  of  gold  there  for  steady 
men  who  know  how  to  take  care  of  it  and 
are  willing  to  work.  It  will  take  about  f$500 
to  stake  a  man  out  for  a  year  when  he  gets 
there,  and  he  may  strike  it  rich,  or,  again,  he 
may  scarcely  make  enough  to  pay  his  outlay. 
By  the  process  of  mining  there  a  man  does  not 
know  what  he  has  in  his  dump,  which  he  piles 
up  during  the  winter,  until  spring.  Then  the 
ice  breaks  up,  the  water  commences  flowing, 
and  he  can  sluice  the  gravel  taken  out  during 
the  winter. 

"For  a  man  who  has  never  done  any  min- 
ing, the  best  thing  is  to  hire  out  to  a  man  who 
knows  the  business.  It  is  a  trade  that  has  to 
be  learned.  The  wages  are  good,  and  a  man 
who  is  willing  to  work  will  learn  enough  in 
one  year  to  start  on  his  own  account  and  do 
better  than  if  he  tries  as  a  green  hand. " 


HUMAN  DOCUMENTS. 


01) 


lone 

nee 
fery 
(my 
(uld 

^he 
de- 
ire, 
the 


I 


From  the  tremendous  mass  of  testimony  re- 
garding the  real  situation  on  the  Klondike,  the 
following  private  letter  from  Thomas  Davies, 
of  the  Seattle  Times,  to  his  sister,  Mrs.  G.  W. 
Beardsley,  of  Binghamton,  N.  Y.,  is  of  em- 
phatic significance,  as  showing  the  extent  of 
the  gold  fever  on  the  Pacific  Slope.     Ho  says  : 

**As  you  have  doubtless  noticed,  we  are 
having  a  genuine  old-fashioned  boom.  Ad- 
vance agent  of  prosperity  has  arrived — confi- 
dence restored,  and  on  a  gold  basis,  too.  Prob- 
ably one  hundred  of  my  friends  who  went  to 
the  Yukon  have  made  from  $10, 000  to  $500, 000. 
Zilly  got  $70,000;  Baker,  who  roomed  at  my 
house,  $10,000;  Lippy,  myY.  M.  C.  A.  friend, 
brought  out  $65,000  on  the  year's  work;  left 
$150,000  on  the  ^dump.'  Everything  wild- 
gold  everywhere.  I  saw  $400, 000  in  gold  dust 
with  my  own  eyes  when  the  steamer  landed — 
the  most  I  ever  beheld.  Policemen  are  quit- 
ting. The  Times  has  lost  nearly  its  entire  re- 
portorial  force.  Clerks  jump  their  counters — 
doctors  their  patients,  and  even  the  preachers 
shy  around  the  pulpit.  Every  steamer  goes 
out  loaded  in  spite  of  the  prospective  hardships. 
It  resembles  the  Oklahoma  boom  which  I  wit- 
nessed. Nearly  all  the  grocery  and  supply 
housas  are  running  double  sets  of  help  (where 
they  don't  quit),  and  working  day  and  night. 


I- 


\\ 


^m: 


W     ' 


70 


HUMAN  DOCUMENTS. 


'^ 


Woolen  mills  and  stores  are  out  of  blankets 
and  heavy  clothing.  If  any  one  thinks  of 
coming  from  Binghaniton  this  fall  tell  thoiii 
not  to,  for  all  passages  are  taken  on  boats  for 
next  two  weeks,  and  then  it  will  be  too  late. 

* '  Am  thinking  of  going  up  myself  in  August, 
'97, — but  don't  know  for  certain — may  not  go 
until  f-'pring." 

'  A  peculiar  state  of  affairs  exists  in  the  Klon- 
dike, from  the  fact  that  its  gold  output  is  taken 
from  proj^erty  belonging  chiefly  to  subjects  of 
Uncle  Sam  and  comes  to  this  country.  In 
order  "to  get  even,"  as  the  phrase  goes,  the 
Canadian  Government  is  establishing  customs 
officers,  levying  a  tariff  on  miners'  sui)plies 
going  into  the  territory,  and  finally  putting  an 
exorbitant  tax  on  the  output  of  mines.  This 
energy  on  the  part  of  Canada  shows  that 
she  believes  in  her  rights,  and  w411  enforce 
them.  Whatever  move  she  makes  will  not  be 
in  the  interest  of  the  people  of  the  United 
States.  Intending  visitors  to  the  Klondike 
should  salt  the  above  fact  in  their  hats.i 


;^^'.>.».v™'.i;i>*i"t»*»*»4vi*K 


:ets 
of 
lien  I 
for 

[list, 
go 


A  PRACTICAL  CHAPTER. 

"  All  that  glisters  is  not  gold, 
Often  have  you  heard  that  told. " 

—  Shakespeare. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  Klondike  is  not 
in  the  United  States,  nor  in  Alaska,  but  in 
that  portion  of  Canada  known  as  the  North- 
west Territory. 

Five  hundred  dollars  is  the  least  amount 
that  any  man  should  start  to  the  Klondike 
with.  The  poor  man's  route  to  the  mines  is 
via  Seattle.  From  this  point  the  distance  to 
Juneau  is  967  miles.  At  Juneau  the  traveler 
should  provide  himself  with  a  proper  outfit, 
provided  he  has  not  already  done  so  at  Seattle. 
This  is  the  route  from  Juneau  recommended 
by  a  former  governor  of  Alaska  in  his  last 
annual  report,  though  since  it  was  issued  the 
most  practicable  and  popular  route  has  been  by 
way  of  the  Chilkoot  Pass.  Through  this  pass 
eight-tenths  of  the  Argonauts  of  1897  are 
making  their  way. 

Haine's  Mission,  80  miles;  head  of  canoe 
navigation,  106;  summit  of  Chilkat  Pass,  115; 


i| 


:t 


72 


A  PRACTICAL  CHAPTER. 


'I 


Lake  Linderman,  124;  head  of  Lake  Bennett, 
120;  foot  of  Lake  Bennett,  155;  foot  of  Caribou 
Crossing,  150;  foot  of  Takou  Lake,  175;  Takct^li 
House,  170;  head  of  Mud  Lake,  180;  foot  of 
Lake  Marsh,  200;  head  of  White  Horse  Rapids, 
228;  Takaheena  river,  240;  head  of  Lake  De- 
barge,  256;  foot  of  Lake  Debarge,  289; 
HootaHnqua,  Lake  Debarge,  289;  Hoota- 
Hnqua,  320;  Cassiar  Bar,  347;  Little  Salmon 
river,  390;  Five  Fingers,  451;  Pelly  river,  510; 
Stewart  river,  630;  Forty  Mile,  750  miles. 

Governor  Sheakley  gives  some  hints  to  the 
prospector  which  are  worth  repeating.  *  'A  large 
number  of  those  who  have  gone  to  the  Yukon 
region,"  says  he,  ''will  not  realize  their  ex- 
pectations *  *  *  The  miners  make  the 
local  laws  which  govern  the  people.  They  de- 
cide what  the  law  is  and  execute  the  decrees 
and  decisions  of  the  miner's  meeting,  both  as 
to  persons  and  property,  so  long  as  these  meet- 
ings arc  kept  under  control  of  actual  miners 
and  working  men,  the  rights  of  persons  and  of 
property  will  be  comparatively  safe.  Property 
rights  will  be  decided  without  delay  and  crime 
properly  punished.  The  Canadian  government 
maintiihiH  a  i)olice  force,  the  captain  of  which 


»v 


lett, 
liboii 

t  of 
ids, 
De- 
89; 
ota- 
non 
510; 


A  PRACTICAL  CHAPTER.  73 

is  clothed  with  the  powers  of  a  trial  magis- 
trate." 

Prospectors  should  not  think  of  starting  for 
Klondike  before  the  month  of  March.  Of  the 
two  routes  the-  shortest  or  overland  route  is 
here  first  considered  and  is  that  taken  by  eighty 
per  cent,  of  the  prospectors.  This  route  is  by 
steamer  to  Juneau  and  thence  inland.  Here 
is  a  table  showing  the  points  of  the  journey  and 
the  distances,  as  given  by  another  authority. 

THE  OCEAN  ROUTE.  MILES. 

To  St.  Michael's 2,850 

To  Circle  City 4,350 

To  Forty  Mile 4,600 

To  Klondike. 4,660 

THE  OVERTiAND  ROUTE. 

To  Juneau  by  steamer 1,680 

Juneau  to  Chilkat 80 

Juneau  to  Dyea  . , ^ . . . .  100 

Juneau  to  head  of  navigation 106 

Juneau  to  summit  of  Chilkat  pass ....  114 

Juneau  to  head  of  Lake  Lindoman. . . .  123 

Juneau  to  foot  of  Lake  Lindeman  ....  127 

Juneau  to  head  of  Lake  Bennett 12s 

Juneau  to  foot  of  Tagish  lake. .......  173 

Juneau  to  head  of  Lake  Marsh 178 

Juneau  to  head  of  Canyon 223 


t 


III 

III 


74  A   PKACTICAL   CHAPTER. 

Juneau  to  head  of  White  Horse  rai)ids . .  225 

Juneau  to  Takaheena  river 240 

Juneau  to  head  of  Lake  lo  Barge 25<) 

Juneau  to  foot  of  Lake  le  Barge 284 

Juneau  to  Hootalinqua  river 3 1  ♦> 

Juneau  to  Big  Salmon  river 34!) 

Juneau  to  Little  Salmon  river 385 

Juneau  to  Five  Finger  rapids 444 

Juneau  to  Eink  rapids 450 

Juneau  to  Pelly  river 503 

Juneau  to  White  river 599 

Juneau  to  Stuart  river (109 

Juneau  to  Sixty  Mile  post 029 

Juneau  to  Dawson  City (178 

Juneau  to  Forty  Mile  post 728 

Juneau  to  Circle  City S98 

Forty  Mile  to  diggings  at  Millov  creek .  .  7o 

Circle  City  to  diggings  at  Birch  creek . .  50 

Klondike  to  diggings ...  5 

Juneau  is  a  seaport  and  mining  town  of  about 
2,000  inhabitants,  or  was  before  the  Klondike 
rush  set  in.  It  has  schools  and  churches,  three 
newspajvrs,  electric  light  plant,  water-works, 
two  good  Avharves,  large  mercantile  establish- 
ments, good  hotels,  paved  streets  and  fire  and 
hose  companies. 

If  the  miner  purchases  his  oiitflt  fit  Juneau 
it  will  cost  him  about  $150.  The  fare  from 
Juneau  to  Dyea,  a  distance  of  UMI  inllcH,  iH>t>lo, 


"flfcjv. 


225 

240 

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8If{ 

341) 

385 

444 

450 

503 

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025) 

(Its 
728 
SOS 


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H 

O 


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I 


76 


A   I'HACTK'AL   CHAPTER. 


! 


M 
i! 

ii 


I 

I 


.C 


and  the  trip  is  niado  by  steamer.  At  Dyea  the 
pj'ospector  leaves  civihzation  behind  him. 

^liners  should  travel  in  groups  of  four  to  six 
persons,  as  they  are  thus  able  to  economize  in 
the  matter  of  food  and  labor.  The  Indian 
packers  charge  15  cents  a  pound  for  packing 
provisions  from  Dyea  to  Lake  Lindeman,  which 
is  the  roughest  and  most  difficult  part  of  the 
journey.  At  Lake  Lindeman  a  boat  must  be 
constnicted  and  it  is  well  that  one  member  of 
the  party  should  have  a  practical  knowledge 
of  boat  building.  Between  the  waterways  the 
boat  must  1)0  dragged  over  the  ground. 

Lake  Lindeman  is  four  miles  long.  Wliei 
the  end  is  reached,  the  boat  must  be  dragged 
for  over  a  mile  to  Lake  Bennett.  When  tlu' 
foot  of  Lake  Bennett  has  been  reached,  the 
boat  is  lifted  on  a  sledge  and  dragged  to  the 
Caribou  crossing,  three  miles  away. 

Leaving  Caribou  crossing  the  party  travels 
an  uneven,  hard  road  to  the  foot  of  Lake 
Tagish,  17  miles  away.  Lake  Marsh  is  trav- 
ersed with  little  difficulty.  It  ends  in  a  deep 
canyon. 

Beyond  the  canyon  are  the  White  Horse 
rapids  and  the  Tahkeena  river,  which  opens 


I 


A    PHACTU'AT.    ('H APTKR. 


77 


10 

fix 
111 
III 

J  '»* 

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le 


into  Tijike  le  Burgo,  25(1  miles  from  Juneau. 
The  Hootaliiujua  river,  Cassiar  bar,  Big  Sal- 
mon river  and  Little  Salmon  river,  the  Fivo 
Finger  rapids  and  the  Eink  rapids  are  next 
passed.  The  Kink  rapids  are  450  miles  from 
Juneau. 

The  Rink  rapids  extend  for  over  63  miles, 
and  it  is  impossible  for  a  boat  to  live  in  them. 
The  craft  must  be  dragged  to  the  Pelly  river, 
the  most  important  point  thus  far  reached. 
The  prospector  next  travel  down  the  Pelly  river 
for  DO  miles,  until  they  reach  the  White  river. 
At  the  confluence  of  the  two  streams  the  Yukon 
opens  before  them  2,044:  miles  from  its  mouth. 

The  route  now  leads  down  the  Yukon  ten 
miles  and  across  the  Stuart  river.  Twenty 
miles  farther,  is  Sixty  Mile  post.  For  over  00 
miles  the  stream  flows  through  a  bleak  region. 
Then  Fort  Eeliance,  a  small  post,  is  passed. 
There  is  nothing  to  eat  there. 

The  river  carries  the  miners  on  to  Forty  Mile 
post,  46  miles  away.  Nearly  a  mile  from  Forty 
Mile  post  is  Fort  Cudahy.  For  170  miles  more 
the  way  is  barren,  and  then  Circle  City  ap- 
pears. 

A  year  ago  Circle  City  had  a  population  of 


il 


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23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

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A   PRACTICAL   CHAPTER. 


800  people,  but  now  it  has  many  more.  It  is 
898  miles  from  Jmieaii  and  is  the  first  place 
where  i^rovisions  may  be  obtained  at  anything 
but  prohibitory  prices. 

After  leaving  Circle  City  150  miles  more  must 
be  traveled  before  the  Klondike  is  reached.  At 
the  point  where  the  Klondike  river  meets  the 
Yukon  the  new  city,  Dawson,  has  sprung  up 
with  its  thousands  of  inhabitants.  Dawson  is 
the  metropolis  of  the  Klondike. 

A  reliable  and  intelligent  traveller  thus  de- 
scribes in  plain  language  his  journey  from 
Juneau  to  the  gold  fields: 

' '  Our  party  consisted  of  nine.  Taking  the 
mail,  which  was  put  into  three  knapsacks' 
pouches,  we  went  on  board  the  small  steamer 
Rustler,  and  left  Juneau  the  evening  of  June 
11.  The  boat  was  built  to  carry  twenty-five 
persons,  but  had  on  board  eighty,  and  there 
was  hardly  room  to  move  about.  The  way 
from  Juneau  is  up  the  Lynn  Canal,  amidst 
scenery  of  great  beauty.  The  run  should  take 
about  twelve  hours,  but  one  of  the  storms  for 
which  the  Lynn  Canal  is  famous  burst,  and  we 
had  to  anchor.  The  following  day  we  reached 
Talya.     The  fare  was  $10  each.     June  14  we 


\ 


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P- 

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O 
O 

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Jii'.' 
[i^ "     ■■■' 

80 

A   PRACTICAL  CHAPTEK. 


/',  '  I 


l\}    h 


set  out  for  Sheep  Camp,  twelve  miles  distant. 
All  our  provisions  were  packed  in  oilskin  bags, 
and  the  march  into  the  interior  began.  As 
traveling  was  warm,  we  left  Sheep  Camp  at 
night.  There  were  twenty  Indians  carrying- 
packs.  Some  of  the  men  carried  as  much  as 
175  pounds.  Even  the  squaws  assisted  in  the 
labor,  one  walking  beside  me  with  a  cooking 
stove  on  her  shoulders. 

*^Soon  after  midnight  we  reached  the  last 
and  hardest  climb  of  the  pass,  and  at  2  a.  m. 
the  summit  was  reached.  We  rested  a  while 
and  began  to  descent  to  Lake  Linderman,  which 
we  reached  soon  after  noon.  Here  our  boats 
were  made.  The  next  day  we  set  sail  on  the 
lake,  about  six  miles  in  length.  It  connects 
with  Lake  Bennett.  There  is  a  dangerous 
place  near  the  lower  edge  of  the  lake,  and  we 
made  a  portage  and  carried  our  provisions  about 
fifty  yards  along  the  bank.  We  camped  on  the 
shore  of  Lake  Bennett,  and  here  our  mosquito 
affliction  began  and  no  respite  was  had  from  it 
until  cold  weather. 

' '  The  next  day  we  started  down  Lake  Ben- 
nett, which  is  twenty-four  miles  in  length. 
Sometimes  the  wind  rushed  with  such   fury 


A  PRACTICAL  CHAPTER. 


81 


distant. 
:in  bags, 
ran.  As 
[Camp  at 
carrying 
much  as 
ed  in  the 
cooking 

the  last 
t  2  a.  m. 
a  while 
an,  which 
our  boats 
lil  on  the 
connects 
iangerous 
e,  and  we 
ons  about 
)ed  on  the 
mosquito 
d  from  it 

ake  Ben- 
i  length. 
Lich   fury 


through  the  gaps  in  the  mountains  that  the 
boat  could  not  be  moved.  The  gusts  of  wind 
delayed  our  trip  on  this  small  lake  nearly  four 
days,  compelling  us  to  camp  on  the  shore  to 
avoid  being  swamped. 

^^June  25  the  wind  ceased,  after  blowing  a 
tornado,  and  at  2  a.  m.  we  resumed  the  journey 
to  the  end  of  Lake  Bennett.  This  point  is 
Cariboo  Crossing,  a  shallow  stream  two  miles 
long.  After  breakfast  we  again  set  out,  being 
anxious  to  get  past  a  part  of  Tagish  Lake, 
known  as  *  Windy  Arm, '  the  most  difficult  and 
dangerous  spot  in  the  lake  portion  of  the 
journey.  Navigation  in  these  waters,  which 
are  so  remote  and  unknown  on  the  maps,  is 
very  difficult.  We  rowed  steadily  for  nine- 
teen hours  to  traverse  the  length  of  Tagish 
Lake,  nineteen  miles.  We  camped  near  the 
huts  known  as  the  '  Tagish  Houses, '  the  only 
human  habitations  in  this  desolate  lake  country. 
Our  tent  was  infested  by  the  most  ferocious 
mosquitoes,  and  our  misery  can  not  be  de- 
scribed. 

^'The  next  morning  we  started  down  Lake 
Marsh,  rowing.  Swarms  of  mosquitoes  fol- 
lowed.    This  lake  also  is  nineteen  miles  long, 


—    ^ 

i 


82 


A  PRACTICAL  CHAPTER. 


n 


i> 


1 


Id 


and  very  shallow.  We  rowed  all  day,  reach- 
ing the  outlet  at  6  o'clock.  Here  the  current 
was  swift,  and  we  were  able  to  ship  our  oars 
and  fight  mosquitoes  as  we  drifted  down  stream. 
We  camped  at  10  o'clock. 

*'The  next  morning  we  continued  our  trip 
through  steep  banks.  About  noon  we  ap- 
proached the  Grand  Canyon,  being  warned 
of  it  by  an  increase  in  the  current.  About  2 
o'clock  we  came  to  a  bend,  where  some  one  had 
erected  a  sign  marked  ^  Danger.'  This  was  the 
stopping  place,  and  we  went  ashore.  One  of 
our  boats  narrowly  escaped  being  washed  into 
the  rapids  at  this  point. 

*' On  shore  we  made  preparations  for  run- 
ning the  boats  through.  At  this  point  other 
parties  joined  us,  and  there  were  now  five  boats 
in  the  group.  We  unloaded  and  carried  their 
contents  to  a  quiet  eddy  below  the  rapids.  One 
skiff,  with  a  guide  and  with  the  aid  of  ropes, 
was  then  sent  through  the  rapids.  It  shot  into 
the  canyon  with  the  speed  of  an  express  train, 
and  one  after  another  the  other  boats  followed 
in  the  same  manner. 

*-*  Below  the  canyon  is  a  two-mile  stretch 
of  bad  travel.     The  landing  here  must  be  made 


\ 


\ 


i- 


A   PRACTICAL  CHAPTER. 


83 


ach- 
prent 
I  oars 
Jam. 

trip 
ap- 
ned 

Lit  2 

had 
the 

>  of 

into 


in  an  eddy  on  the  left  bank,  just  above  the 
great  bend.  White  Horse  Rapids  are  a  half 
mile  in  length,  and  greatly  dreaded  by  the 
guides.  Every  year  a  number  of  men  are 
drowned  at  this  point.  During  the  last  two 
seasons  more  than  twenty  unfortunate  men  on 
their  way  to  the  gold  fields  have  lost  their  lives 
in  these  wild  waters,  and  their  graves  dot  the 
desolate  shores.  Within  three  miles  there  is 
a  fall  of  thirty-two  feet,  from  which  the  cur- 
rent's force  can  be  judged. 

"The  next  morning  we  began  carrying  all 
our  goods  over  the  portage,  a  labor  doubly 
arduous  from  the  misery  caused  by  the  mos- 
quitoes, and  the  empty  boats  were  guided  down 
as  before.  Having  reloaded  our  boats  we 
again  set  out.  From  White  Horse  rapids  the 
river  is  safe  and  we  made  a  quick  run  to  the 
junction  of  the  Tahkeena  river,  sixteen  miles 
below. 

''  The  next  day  we  started  early  and  soon 
.nade  the  remaining  fourteen  miles  of  the  river 
and  reached  Lake  Debarge.  This  is  the  last 
and  largest  of  the  chain,  being  thirty-one  miles 
long  and  about  five  miles  wide.  It  is  a  stormy 
lake,  and  much  dreaded  by  miners.     We  be- 


: 
I 


84 


A  PRACTICAL  CHAPTER. 


11  i 


gan  rowing  at  1  o'clock  and  pulled  steadily  on 
the  oars  till  11  o'clock  at  night.  There  is  no 
darkness  during  summer,  and  night  travel 
presents  no  extra  hardships.  We  fired  at  a 
flock  of  ducks,  and  the  gun  made  a  wonderful 
echo.  Immediately  more  shots  answered,  and 
it  seemed  as  if  peals  of  artillery  were  sounded 
up  in  the  mountains. 

'^  When  nearing  the  end  of  the  lake  a  violent 
storm  suddenly  arose.  Our  boats  were  in 
danger,  and,  although  within  five  miles  of  the 
outlet,  we  had  to  camp  until  the  next  after- 
noon, when  we  resumed  the  journey,  reaching 
the  outlet  at  night.  It  was  no  small  relief  to 
reach  the  river  and  leave  the  lakes  behind. 

"  The  river  from  Lake  Debarge  is  known  as 
the  Lewis.  We  continued  down  the  Lewis 
thirty  miles,  and  the  next  day,  July  1,  passed 
Big  Salmon  river.  We  passed  on  as  far  as  Little 
Salmon,  a  distance  of  seventy-one  miles,  and 
then  camped.  The  storm  on  Lake  Debarge 
had  scattered  the  party,  but  we  came  together 
at  this  point. 

*'  The  next  day  we  traveled  sixty- two  miles, 
and  arrived  at  Five  Fingers.  The  landing 
must  be  made  in  an  eddy  above  the  rocks. 


\,^ 


beadily  on 
ere  is  no 
ht  travel 
red  at  a 
vonderful 
'■ered,  and 
sounded 

)  a  violent 
were  in 
les  of  the 
xt  after- 
reaching 
relief  to 
jhind. 
known  as 
lie  Lewi^ 
1,  passed 
r  as  Little 
liles,  and 
Debarge 
together 

vo  miles, 

landing 

le  rocks. 


o 

H 

I 

H 

M 

M 
< 

> 


P4 

O 
P 


86 


A  PRACTICAL  CHAPTER. 


i 


:h.      *-i 


Bix  miles  below  Five  Fingers  we  came  to  the 
Eock  Eapids,  the  noisest  but  least  dangerous 
in  the  river.  This  is  the  last  obstruction,  and 
from  here  down  to  the  sea  the  Yukon  presents 
an  unbroken  stretch  of  navigation.  Our  tor- 
tures from  mosquitoes  could  hardly  be  borne. 

'*  The  next  day  we  traveled  fourteen  hours, 
and  at  2  o'clock  reached  the  mouth  of  Pelly 
river.  The  confluence  of  the  Lewis  and  Pelly 
forms  the  Yukon,  and  is  marked  by  the  old 
post  of  Selkirk,  which  was  raided  by  the  coast 
Indians  in  1852. 

*'We  are  now  in  the  vicinity  of  the  gold 
mining  camps.  Starting  down  the  Yukon  the 
following  day  we  made  seventy-four  miles  and 
camped  at  Reliance.  Formerly  there  was  a 
trading  post  here,  but  not  a  vestige  remains. 
On  our  way  we  passed  Sixty  Mile  Creek,  where 
the  first  great  discoveries  were  made.  The 
next  stream  we  passed  was  the  Klondike,  a 
corruption  of  an  Indian  word — Tondatt — mean- 
ing salmon  stream.  The  inhabitants  were 
anxiously  awaiting  the  coming  of  the  salmon. 

"The  next  day  five  hours'  pulling  brought 
us  to  the  famous  mining  camp  of  Forty  Mile 
Creek,  which  was  our  destination.     From  the 


M 


\ 


A   PRACTICAL  CHAPTER. 


87 


ime  to  the 
dangerous 
action,  and 
on  presents 
Our  tor- 
be  borne, 
een  hours, 
1  of  Pelly 
and  Pelly 
by  the  old 
7  the  coast 

f  the  gold 
Yukon  the 
*  miles  and 
lere  was  a 
3  remains, 
eek,  where 
ade.     The 
Klondike,  a 
tt — mean- 
ants  were 
3  salmon. 
?  brought 
'orty  Mile 
From  the 


time  of  our  departure  from  Juneau,  June  11, 
to  our  landing  at  Forty  Mile  Creek,  July  6, 
we  accomplished  in  twenty-six  days  a  journey 
of  750  miles  through  a  desolate  region." 

The  all  water  route  to  the  gold  fields  is  by 
way  of  St.  Michael,  and  can  only  be  made 
during  the  three  months  of  summer.  This 
route  will  not  be  used  by  prospectors  on  ac- 
count of  its  length,  but  is  of  vital  interest  in 
the  matter  of  taking  freight  and  provisions  to 
the  thousands  of  inhabitants  of  the  new  dig- 
gings. 

Until  the  recent  excitement  drew  all  of  the 
prospectors  to  Dawson,  the  objective  point  was 
Circle  City.  This  town  was  the  base  of  all 
mining  operations  in  the  northern  region. 
Supplies  were  brought  there  from  St.  Michael 
and  in  winter  the  miners  made  it  their  head- 
quarters. This  was  due  to  two  important 
causes.  In  the  first  place,  Circle  City  is  ac- 
cessible to  the  flat  bottomed  steamers  that 
make  their  way  up  the  Yukon  river  from  St. 
Michael. 

The  distance  from  San  Francisco  to  St. 
Michael  is  2,850  miles.  From  St.  Michael 
to  Circle  City  the  distance  is  1,500  miles,  and 


1 


TWO    ROUTES    TO    KLONDIKE 


A   PRACTICAL   CHAPTER. 


89 


250  miles  down  the  river  toward  the  mines  is 
Forty  Mile  Post.  The  Klondike  appears  at  the 
end  of  fiftv  miles  more.  It  is  tlii-  route  that 
the  steamers  take  with  their  supplies  for  the 
prospectors. 

P;  orties  intending  to  go  to  the  new  gold  fields 
should  without  doubt  get  the  best  map  of 
Alaska  that  has  been  compiled.  This  map  is 
prepared  by  the  United  States  Coast  and  Geodetic 
Survey,  and  is  known  as  Chart  T.  It  is  a  general 
map  embodying  cartographic  information  avail- 
able in  regard  to  Alaska,  and  is  the  best  pub- 
lished at  this  writing.  The  map  is  obtainable 
by  all  citizens  on  application  to  the  Secretary  of 
the  Treasury  at  Washington.  A  small  charge  is 
made  for  it  by  the  Government. 

The  extraordinary  demand  for  information 
regarding  Alaska  has  caused  the  Government 
to  decide  to  issue  another  map  of  this  territory, 
the  preparation  of  which  has  already  begun. 
The  new  map  will  be  made  under  the  super- 
vision of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  and  the 
Commissioner  of  the  General  Land  Office,  and 
will  be  much  more  comprehensive  than  any 
previous  map  of  this  region.     Commissioner 


i 


!  7 

1 1,  « 

ll'f 


■hm 


90 


A  PRACTICAL  CHAPTER. 


>::»     rii 


I;:)  m 


Hermann  will  commence  the  preparation  of 
the  map  at  once. 

The  map  will  show  not  only  Alaska,  but  the 
adjacent  British  possessions,  with  Washington 
and  portions  of  Oregon  and  California.  It  will 
give  the  ports  from  which  passengers  desiring 
to  reach  Alaska  can  sail,  and  the  routes,  and 
will  show  all  the  tributaries  of  the  Yukon. 

Commissioner  Hermann,  in  speaking  of  the 
map,  said  recently : 

* '  The  map  being  on  a  large  scale  will  show 
in  an  intelligible  manner  surprising  informa- 
tion regarding  the  vast  size  of  the  lower  portion 
of  the  Yukon,  which  spreads  out  from  CO  to 
100  miles.  In  this  extent  it  is  continuous  for 
300  miles  inland. 

' '  It  will  then  be  represented  as  more  in  the 
form  of  a  river  for  2,000  miles  further  inland, 
reaching  into  the  Forty  Mile  River  and  the 
Sixty  Mile  River  district,  which  embraces  the 
site  of  the  gold  fields.  What  will  be  especially 
interesting  will  be  the  minute  outlining  of  the 
land  journey  from  the  head  of  deep  water 
navigation  in  the  Lynn  Channel  across  the 
Chilkoot  Pass,  and  showing  the  various  lake 
communications,   together  with  the  portages 


^ 


A  PRACTICAL  CHAPTER. 


91 


%. 


ration   of 

1,  but  the 
ashington 
It  will 
desiring 
mtes,  and 
Likon. 
ng  of  the 

will  show 
informa- 
er  portion 
[•om  GO  to 
auous  for 

>re  in  the 
jr  inland, 

and  the 
•races  the 
especially 
ng  of  the 
ep  water 
cross  the 
ious  lake 

portages 


and  lake  passages.  Some  very  valuable  data 
are  now  in  the  possession  of  the  office,  obtained 
from  various  sources  not  opened  to  the  public, 
which  will  be  made  public  property  for  the 
first  time  in  official  form  in  this  map." 

The  Secretary  of  the  Interior  and  the  Com- 
missioner of  the  General  Land  Office  will  unite 
in  recommendations  to  the  next  session  of  Con- 
gress for  national  legislation  on  many  matters 
affecting  the  welfare  of  Alaska.  An  additional 
land  district  will  be  designated  meanwhile, 
with  the  site  of  a  new  United  States  land  office 
at  some  point  on  the  Yukon,  probably  Circle 
City.  The  President  has  appointed  a  resident 
receiver  for  the  eastern  land  district,  with 
offices  at  Sitka. 

No  man  has  any  business  to  go  into  the 
Klondike  region  without  an  adequate  equip- 
ment of  money  and  supplies  to  carry  him 
through  for  at  least  a  year.  At  the  outset  it 
is  necessary  that  he  should  beware  of  the  thou- 
sand and  one  schemers  and  swindlers  who  will 
beset  his  path.  The  regular  transportation 
companies  of  course  are  the  safest  to  trust  in 
the  matter  of  carrying  you  into  Alaska.  At 
this  writing  the  latest  announcement  is  the 


1:1 


11 


i'i'f 


11 


M  11 

r 


I 


■'.  y 


sU 


> 

09 


o 
Q 


Q 


> 


05 


W 


O 


mm. 


'l|T!Ml.jl|ll 


litSi::'-':^;' 

MMm 


ili 


A   PRACTICAL   CHAPTER. 


93 


sailing  of  the  steamer  "Portland,"  which 
leaves  Seattle  September  10th  for  Fort  Get 
There,  St.  Michael's  Island,  Alaska,  to  make 
connections  with  the  Yukon  Eiver  steamers 
' '  Weare, "  ' '  Cudahy, "  "  Hamilton, "  '  'Healy, " 
"Power"  and  "Klondike."  It  is  promised 
that  passengers  will  be  landed  at  Circle  City, 
Fort  Cudahy  and  Klondike  gold  mines  on  or 
before  June  15th,  1898,  the  fare,  including 
board,  being  one  thousand  dollars.  The  North 
American  Transportation  and  Trading  Com- 
pany, with  offices  in  Old  Colony  Building, 
Chicago,  which  operates  this  line,  issue  letters 
of  credit  at  its  posts.  Circle  City,  Alaska,  Fort 
Cudahy,  Dawson  City,  Klondike  gold  fields. 
Northwest  Territory,  at  a  charge  of  one  per 
cent.  They  have  also  announced  that  employ- 
ment will  be  given  at  remunerative  wages 
during  the  winter  (of  '97-98)  along  the  Yukon 
Eiver,  chopping  and  banking  steamboat  wood. 
Large  stocks  of  supplies  will  be  found  at  Fort 
Get  There  and  Hamilton,  on  the  lower  Yukon. 
It  would  be  ill-advised  for  anyone  to  believe 
in  the  low  rates  for  outfits  and  transportation 
quoted  by  some  of  the  men  who  are  planning 
to  conduct  expeditions.     A  man  might  better 


94 


A  PRACTICAL  CHAPTER. 


be  destitute  at  home,  in  a  civilized  land,  than 
on  the  inhospitable  Alaskan  shore,  with  small 
chance  of  getting  back.  By  the  best  estimates 
given  by  men  of  experience,  it  is  evident  that 
one  thousand  dollars  is  the  least  amount  that 
a  man  should  start  with  from  San  Francisco 
for  Klondike. 

As  a  somewhat  pessimistic  view  of  the  ad- 
venturer's chances,  it  is  opportune  to  quote  a 
paragraph  from  the  pen  of  Ambrose  Bierce,  in 
the  San  Francisco  Examiner  : 

*'  The  Calif ornian  gold-hunter  did  good  by 
accident  and  crowed  to  find  it  fame,  but  the 
blue-nosed  mosquito-slapper  of  Greater  Daw- 
son— what  is  he  for  ?  Is  he  going  to  ^  lay 
broad  and  deep  the  foundations  of  an  empire ' 
(for  Great  Britain)  in  that  villain  country? 
Will  he  '  bear  the  banner  of  progress '  into 
that  paleocrystic  waste?  Will  he  'clear  the 
way'  for  even  a  dog-sled  civilization  and  a 
reindeer  religion?  Nothing  will  come  of  him. 
He  is  a  word  in  the  wind,  a  brother  to  the 
fog.  At  the  scene  oi"  his  activity  no  memory 
of  him  will  remain.  The  gravel  th-xthe  thaw- 
ed and  sifted  will  freeze  again.  In  the  shanty 
that  he  builded  the  she-wolf  will  rear  her 
poddy  litter,  and  from  its  eaves  the  moose 
crop  the  esculent  icicle  unafraid.  The  snows 
will  close  over  his  trail  and  all  be  as  before." 


A  PRACTICAL   CHAPTER. 


95 


^^,  than 
h  small 
timates 
nt  that 
nt  that 
ancisco 

the  ad- 
uote  a 
Tce,  in 

3od  by 
ut  the 

Daw- 
0  'lay 
npire ' 
Lintry? 
'  into 
ir  the 
and  a 

him. 
o  the 
mory 
haw- 
lanty 

her 
loose 
aows 


That  the  Canadian  people  realize  they  have 
a  good  thing  in  the  Klondike  is  more  than 
emphasized  in  the  expressions  of  the  Dominion 
press,  \jrhe  Toronto  Globe  is  one  of  a  number 
of  Canadian  newspapers  which  has  given  edi- 
torial advice  on  the  subject.  Here  is  a  con- 
densation of  an  article  it  published  at  the  end 
of  July  ('97):  "The  Yukon  district  has  been 
found  to  contain  fabulous  wealth.  This  wealth 
belongs  to  the  people  of  the  Dominion,  and 
that  fact  must  be  kept  in  mind  in  considering 
plans  for  administration.  *  *  *  Here 
is  wealth  belonging  to  the  Canadian  people 
and  apparently  waiting  to  be  picked  up.  If 
the  experience  of  other  nations  is  repeated, 
and  people  crowd  in;  scramble  for  the  gold  and 
carry  it  away,  it  might  as  well  have  been  lo- 
cated on  an  isl  nd  in  the  Pacific  so  far  as  any 
benefit  to  Canada  is  concerned.  *  *  *  There 
is  no  reason  why  a  government  should  not 
make  as  much  out  of  natural  opportunities  as 
would  a  private  corporation./ 

In  18Y0  the  most  exhaustive  book  on  Alaska 
was  published  by  William  H.  Dall,  who  visited 
the  country  as  director  of  the  scientific  corps  of 
the  Western  Union  Telegraph  expedition.  The 


I 


SI  ; 


(»■   f' 


96 


A  PRACTICAL  CHAPTER. 


I      I 


:J       I 


purpose  in  view  was  to  determine  whether  a 
route  through  that  region  was  not  possibly  the 
best  for  telegraphic  communication  round  the 
world.  Exj^loration  since  this  expedition  has 
done  little  to  inform  the  world  about  Alaska 
any  further,  for  Dall  had  able  assistants,  as 
well  as  the  co  operation  of  specialists  in  various 
institutes  of  science  and  learning  in  the  East- 
ern States,  the  result  being  an  exhaustive 
compendium  of  knowledge  relating  to  Alaska 
down  to  that  time. 

A  Western  journal  suggests  to  those  who 
are  going  from  the  Pacific  slope  that  they  take 
a  reserve  supply  of  food  in  the  compressed 
form  that  the  army  has  experimented  with  so 
successfully,  and  provide  themselves  with 
plenty  of  clothing  and  blankets.  But  above 
ail,  no  one  should  start  for  the  Klondike  who 
is  not  amply  provided  with  money.  It  is  hardly 
necessary  to  call  attention  to  the  historical  ex- 
perience of  these  rich  gold  discoveries  that 
where  there  are  a  few  who  make  fortunes 
there  are  many  more  who  lose  all  they  have, 
and  often  their  lives.  And  there  are  bound  to 
be  disappointments  in  Alaska  just  as  there 
were  in  California,  Colorado  and  Dakota. 


p 
^ 


A   PRACTICAL   CHAPTER. 


97 


(ether  a 
ibly  the 
md  the 
[ion  has 
Alaska 
ints,  as 
various 
■  East- 
lustive 
A-laska 

!e  who 
y  take 
)ressed 
ith  so 

with 
above 
)  who 
ardJy 
tl  ex- 

that 
^unes 
lave, 
d  to 
here 


Samuel  Perrin,  who  is  familiar  with  Alaska, 
makes  the  following  comments,  which  are  per- 
tinent to  the  subject  in  hand: 

**  What  causes  the  tremendous  expense  in 
the  Klondike  and  other  districts  in  that  neigh- 
borhood is  the  fact  that  everything  must  be 
packed  over  the  mountains  by  men.  Mules 
and  horses  are  not  known  there.  The  average 
weight  that  a  man  can  carry  is  about  sixty 
pounds,  and  everything  eatable,  excepting  fish, 
must  be  carried  in  that  way.  Few  people  have 
a  conception  of  the  extent  of  Alaska.  It  is  as  big 
as  all  of  the  United  States  east  of  the  Mississippi, 
and  if  a  line  were  drawn  north  and  south  the 
center  of  the  United  States,  that  is  including 
Alaska,  would  be  150  miles  west  of  San  Fran- 
cisco. In  other  words,  the  distance  from  that 
line  to  Maine  would  be  3,000  miles,  as  from 
the  line  to  the  western  coast  of  Alaska. 

"It  may  be  that  the  wonderful  inventive 
geniuses  of  the  day  may  provide  some  plan  by 
which  prospecting  may  be  conducted  in  Alaska 
during  the  winter,  but  I  doubt  it  very  much, 
judging  from  my  experience.  I  am  sure  that 
the  suffering  among  the  people  who  go  there  will 
be  awful,  because  of  the  crude  methods  of 
transit.  There  are  no  such  things  as  stealing 
rides  on  freight  trains,  or  trips  over  the  coun- 
try in  wagons,  but  it  is  plain  tramp  most  of 
the  distance,  and  but  three  months  of  the  year 


i] 


'i 


'iii 


I 


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1 1 

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■  i:     1 


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I'll 


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W 


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fe  1 

■?  ■■ 


A  PRACTICAL  CHAPTER. 


99 


ifi 


i 


1 


« 


la 


m 


« 


to  do  it  in.  It  was  exceedingly  hard  to  get 
familiar  with  the  climate,  and  I  doubt  whether 
men  of  this  section  conld  ever  do  so.  It  is 
true  I  know  very  little  about  the  Klondike 
gold  country,  but  the  temperature  and  the 
ground  itself  is  the  same  all  over  Alaska,  very 
wild,  mountainous  and  volcanic.  The  Indians 
are  short  and  inclined  to  be  peaceful.  The 
ground  is  frozen  the  year  round,  and  the 
mountains  over  which  they  travel  covered  with 
continuous  snow.  All  of  the  mining  work 
must  be  done  in  three  months,  although  there 
have  been  seasons  when  they  could  work  in 
May." 

Forty  Mile  Post,  Fort  Cudahy  and  Circle 
City  are  the  principal  settlements  on  the  Yu- 
kon. The  latter  named  city  was  established 
in  1894,  and  will  become  the  distributing  point 
for  a  large  district.  The  town  has  several 
stores,  restaurants  and  a  good  many  cabins. 
The  season  of  '97  has  advanced  too  far  to  allow 
troops  to  be  sent  to  the  Yukon  this  year,  and 
whether  they  will  be  assigned  there  next  sima- 
mer  will  depend  largely  on  the  character  of  the 
reports  made  by  Capt.  Eay  and  Lieut.  Robin- 
son, who  sailed  from  Seattle  August  6th,  ('97), 
to  determine  whether  it  is  advisable  to  estab- 
lish a  permanent  military  post  near  Circle 
City. 

In  view  of  the  great  number  of  American 
citizens  who  have  gone  or  contemplate  going 


'■\: 


ii 


(  : 


(« 


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a'. 


n 


100 


A  PRACTICAL  CHAPTER. 


mn   I" 
\M  I- 

m  U 


'i 


to  the  Klondike  gold  fields  in  Alaska,  the  Post 
Office  Department  has  made  additional  con- 
tracts for  the  carrying  of  mails  to  and  from 
that  region. 

The  Department  has  just  been  notified  by 
the  contractor's  agent  that  a  party  will  start 
regularly  on  the  first  of  each  month.  The  cost 
is  about  $000  for  the  round  trip.  The  Chilkoot 
Pass  is  crossed  with  the  mail  by  means  of  In- 
dian carriers.  On  the  previous  trips  the  car- 
riers, after  finishing  the  pass,  built  their  boats, 
but  now  they  have  their  own  to  pass  the  lakes 
and  the  Lewis  Eiver. 

In  the  winter  transportation  is  carried  on 
by  means  of  dog-sleds,  and  it  is  hoped  that 
under  the  present  contracts  there  will  be  no 
stoppage,  no  matter  how  low  the  temperature 
may  go. 

Contracts  have  been  made  with  two  steam- 
boat companies  for  two  trips  from  Seattle  to 
St.  Michael.  When  the  steamers  reach  St. 
Michael  the  mail  will  be  transferred  to  the  flat- 
bottomed  boats  running  up  the  Yukon  as  far 
as  Circle  City.  It  is  believed  the  boats  now 
run  further  up. 

The  contracts  for  the  overland  route  call  for 
only  first-class  matter,  whereas  the  steamers 
in  summer  carry  everything,  up  to  five  tons, 
each  trip. 

Secretary  of  Agriculture  Wilson  believes 
that  Congress  at  its  next  session  will  authorize 


e  Post 
[1  con- 

led  by 
start 
le  cost 
\ilkoot 
)f  In- 
|e  car- 
)oats, 
[lakes 


A  PRACTICAL  CHAPTER. 


101 


the  establishment  of  an  agricultural  experi- 
mental station  in  Alaska.  He  said  recently 
that  he  had  no  doubt  the  people  in  some  parts 
of  Alaska  would  be  able  to  produce  their  own 
vegetables  and,  to  some  extent,  the  cereals 
they  will  need. 

The  hardy  classes  of  animals,  he  said,  also 
could  be  grown  there.  The  cattle  from  the 
mountains  of  Scotland,  he  believed,  could  be 
raised  successfully  in  Alaska,  but  so  far  as  is 
known  now  the  mining  regions  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  head  waters  of  the  Yukon  River  are 
about  a  thousand  miles  away  from  any  part  of 
Alaska  in  which  agriculture  could  be  success- 
fully pursued. 

Recognizing  the  importance  of  the  recent 
gold  discoveries  in  Alaska  and  adjoining  terri- 
tory, and  in  obedience  to  the  widespread  de- 
mand for  authentic  information  i.  regard 
thereto,  the  Commissioner  of  Labor  has  detailed 
from  his  regular  force  an  expert,  thoroughly 
familiar  with  all  the  features  of  gold  mining, 
to  proceed  immediately  to  the  Klondike  for  the 
purpose  of  making  a  careful  and  exhaustive 
study  of  theconditions  as  they  exist. 

It  is  the  intention  of  the  commissioner  to 
embody  the  facts  in  a  special  report  or  bulletin 
of  the  department,  which  will  appear  at  as 
early  a  date  as  possible.  Such  a  report  as 
that  contemplated,  giving  the  unbiased  facts 
as  to  the  opportunities  for  the  investment  of 


._     i 


t 


102 


A  PRACTICAL  CHAPTER. 


capital  and  the  employment  of  labor,  wages, 
cost  of  living,  etc.,  he  believes,  will  be  of  great 
value  to  the  people  of  this  country. 

Next  year  there  will  be  telegraph  communi- 
cation with  the  Klondike.  Local  capitalists 
have  filed  the  articles  of  incorporation  of  the 
Alaska  Telegraph  and  Telephone  Company. 
The  scheme  is  to  run  a  telegraph  line  from 
Juneau  to  Dawson  City  over  the  trail  by  way 
of  Chilcoot  Pass  and  down  along  the  shore  of 
lakes  and  rivers.  No  poles  will  1)0  used.  Both 
telegraph  and  telephone  wires  will  be  laid  in- 
side of  a  big  cable,  which  will  rest  on  the  sur- 
face of  the  ground.  From  Dawson  branches 
will  be  built  to  Circle  City  and  Forty  Mile. 

An  outfit  necessary  for  the  long  trip  to  the 
mines  is  a  matter  whose  importance  should 
not  be  underestimated.  The  following  is  a  list 
of  provisions  for  one  man  one  month  : 


it 


20  pounds  flour. 

1  pound  baking  ix)wder. 
12  pounds  bacon. 

6  pounds  beans. 

5  pounds  dried  fruits. 

8  pounds  dessicated  vege- 
tables. 

4  pounds  butter. 

5  pounds  sugar. 

4  cans  condensed  milk. 


1  pound  tea. 

3  pounds  coffee. 

2  pounds  salt. 

3  pounds  oatmeal. 
2  pounds  rice. 

5  pounds  corumeal. 
Pepper. 
Matches. 
Mustard. 


\  \ 


v-y.. 


A   PRACTICAL   CHAPTER. 


103 


'ages, 
great 

uni- 
alists 
f  the 
any, 

from 
Way 
i-e  of 
Both 
in- 
sur- 

ches 


COOKING    UTEN8IL8   AND   DiaiIE8. 


1 


the 
oii]d 

b  liist 


1  frying  pan. 

1  wiiter  k('tll(!. 

2  pairs  good  blanliets. 
1  rubber  blanlcet. 

1  bean  pot. 
Tent. 
Yukon  stove. 


2  plates. 
1  drinking  cup. 
1  teapot. 
1  knife  and  fork. 
1  large  and  1  small  cooking 
pun. 


TOOLS   FOR   IIOAT   BUILDING. 


1  jack  plane. 
1  wbip  saw. 
1  hand  saw. 
1  rip  saw. 
1  draw  knife. 
1  axe. 


1  hatchet. 
1  pocket  rule, 
6  pounds  assorted  nails. 
8  pounds  oakum. 
5  pounds  pitch. 
50  feet  I -rope. 


CLOTHING. 


3  pairs  heavy  overalls. 
3  suits  heavy  wa>olen  under- 
wear. 
1  pair  gum    boots  (crack- 
proof  preferable). 
1  pair  snowshocs. 
Heavy  cap. 
Fleece-lined  mittens. 


3  pairs  heaviest  wool  socks. 
1  pair  Canadian  laragans  or 
shoe  packs. 

1  pair  German  socks. 

2  pairs    heaviest    woolen 

blankets. 
1  oil  blanket  or  canvas. 

1  Mackinaw  suit. 

2  heavy  flannel  shirts. 

Take  along  a  supply  of  medicines  and  mos- 
quito nexting.  Also  a  rifle,  gill  nets  and  fish 
lines.  Snow  glasses  are  necessary  to  prevent 
snow  blindness.  One  man  should  not  attempt 
to  make  the  trip  alone,  and  where  four  or  five 
go  in  one  party,  one  tent,  stove,  and  set  of 
tools  will  do  ^or  all.  The  boats  mostly  in  use 
are  the  lon'^,  double-end  tateau,  but  for  a 
party  of  five  or  six  a  scow  of  good  depth  will 
be  found  most  convenient. 


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A  PRACTICAL   CHAPTER. 


105 


rI\!' 


Miners  who  remain  over  winter  adopt  the 
dress  of  the  natives.  Water  boots  are  made 
of  seal  or  walrus  skins;  dry  weather,  or  winter 
boots,  from  various  skins,  fur  trimmed.  Trou- 
sers are  made  of  fawn  and  marmot  skins, 
while  the  upper  garment,  combined  with  a 
hood,  called  tarka,  is  made  of  marmot  and 
trimmed  with  long  fur,  which  helps  to  protect 
the  face  of  the  person  wearing  it.  Flannels 
can  be  worn  under  these,  and  not  be  any 
heavier  than  clothing  worn  in  a  country  with 
zero  weather.  For  bedding  woolen  blankets 
are  used,  combined  with  fur  robes. 

Those  who  go  in  should  be  prepared  to  stay 
a  couple  of  years;  the  long  journey  in  and  out 
takes  too  much  of  the  good  weather.  The 
climate  is  healthful,  the  summers  are  pleasant, 
and  the  winters,  while  cold,  can  be  made 
agreeable  by  a  plentiful  supply  of  clothing  and 
fuel,  both  of  which  can  be  provided.  The  sun 
shines  for  twenty  hours  a  day  during  the  sum- 
mer, and  during  the  depth  of  winter  it  is  dark 
for  that  many  hours,  except  for  the  wonderful 
display  of  the  aurora  borealis. 

There  is  sharp  business  competition  at  Ju- 
neau and  Sitka,  and  no  snaps  in  commercial 
affairs  are  in  sight.  Professional  people  and 
clerks  are  not  in  demand,  and  mechanics  will 
find  close  competitors  in  the  natives,  who  are 
very  ingenious  workmen.  Mining  men  with 
capital,  and  prospectors  who  bring  a  two  years' 


t. 


•ifl 


'■'•■"■'-  ■*''-'5««p«%i^;<i^Wf:s^^ 


/ 


V 


mi 


1 1* 


ij  il; 


106 


A  PRACTICAL  CHAPTER. 


stake  and  who  can  aid  in  the  development  of 
the  country,  are  about  the  only  classes  to  whom 
the  field  is  wide  open,  and  to  them  Alaska 
offers  splendid  inducements. 

The  route  from  Seattle,  Wash.,  to  Juneau, 
Alaska,  is  now  covered  by  the  vessels  of  the 
Pacific  Coast  Steamship  Company.  From  Ju- 
neau the  Yukon  Transportation  Company  is 
arranging  two  separate  routes  to  Circle  City, 
the  objective  point.  The  freight  route,  by 
way  of  the  Bering  Sea  and  mouth  of  the  Yu- 
kon is  4,780  miles;  the  passenger  route,  by  way 
of  the  Chilkoot  Pass  and  the  sources  of  the 
Yukon  is  2,093 — the  distances  computed  from 
Seattle. 

Subjoined  is  anotner  list  for  the  equipment 


of  miners  : 

PROVISIONS. 

200  poiiuds  bacon. 

800  pounds  flour. 

150   pounds    assorted    dried 

fruits. 
200  pounds  cornmeal. 

50  pounds  rice. 

75  pounds  coffee,  parched. 

40  pounds  tea. 
75  pounds  sugar. 
150  pounds  beans. 

1  case  condensed  milk 
Assortment    of     evaporated 
vegetables  and  meats. 

CLOT 

HING. 

2  suits  of  corduroy. 

3  pairs  rubber  'loois. 
3  pairs  heavy  dhoes. 

2  dozen   heavy    woolen 

socks, 
i  dozen  woolen  mitts. 

3  pairs  woolen  gloves. 

3  suits  heavy  underwear. 
2  suits  Mackinaw^. 

2  hats. 

4  heavy  woolen  shirts. 
1  heavy  coat. 

3  pairs   of    heavy  woolen 

blankets. 

The  outfit  will  cost  about  $175.     Transpor- 


I?!      -I 


\ 


it  of 
lom 
iska 

the 
|Ju- 

is 


A  PRACTICAL  CHAPTER. 


107 


tation,  via  steamer  to  Klondike,  $150,  or  via 
Juneau  and  Dyea,  $40,  If  by  the  latter  route, 
the  carriage  from  salt  water  to  Lake  Linder- 
man,  a  distance  of  thirty-one  miles,  say  one 
and  one-half  tons,  at  15  cents  per  pound,  $450. 
Boat  at  Lake  Linderman,  $60;  miscellaneous, 
$25;  total,  $750. 

Conservatively,  that  is  a  fair  estimate  of 
the  requirements  of  a  man  who  expects  to  re- 
main in  the  Yukon  for  eighteen  months.  There 
are  several  incidental  expenses  which  might  be 
incurred,  or  the  amount  of  supplies  might  be 
curtailed  to  a  slight  extent. 

These  estimates  were  given  by  experienced 
miners,  who  have  wintered  in  the  north  and 
know  what  they  are  talking  about.  In  mak- 
ing purchases,  it  is  well  to  observe  the  sugges- 
tion that  the  very  best  articles  that  can  bo 
purchased  are  none  too  good,  and  will  more 
than  repay  the  purchaser  in  the  long  run. 

The  following  list  is  recommended  by  Thos. 
Cook,  an  experienced  California  miner  : 


^ 


SUPPLIES. 

500poundsflour $12  50 

100      '•      oatmeal 6  00 

100      "      beaus 2  35 

24      "      coflfee,  at  30  cents 7  20 

100      "      bacon,  at  14  cents 14  00 


I  I 


,«h.,*i5ffi>aH^-' 


I     1 


108 


A   PRACTICAL  CHAPTER. 


1=1  i-f 


■  ■( 


nM 


24  pounds  tea,  at  50  cents $18  00 

100      "      dried  potatoes,  at  5  cents 5  00 

50       "      dried  vegetables,  at  5  cents 2  50 

100      "      dried  fruits,  at  6  cents 6  00 

25  "      (2  cases)  condensed  milk 2  50 

5      "      baking  powder 2  50 

5      "      salt  and  pepper 1  00 

60       "      canned  butter,  at  25  cents 12  50 

80      "      lard,  at  10  cents 3  00 

25      "      rice,  at  5  cents 1  25 

20      "      tools 15  00 

50      "      stove  and  cooking  utensils 10  00 

2      "      matches  and  miscellany 1  50 

I.JIO  pounds.     Total  supplies ^};116  80 

OUTFIT. 

Three  suits  woolen  underclothes $12  00 

Three  woolen  overshirts 6  00 

Two  pairs  overalls 2  00 

Six  pairs  woolen  stockings 6  00 

Two  pairs  blankets 16  00 

One  f oxskin  robe 50  00 

One  reindeer  "parkee,"  covering  head  and  reaching 

to  the  knees 12  00 

Three  Paris  Caribou  mittens 6  00 

Two  fur  caps 8  00 

Two  pairs  rubber  boots 7  00 

Three  pairs  mocassins 9  00 

One  pair  "  mucklucks  " 5  00 

One  woolen  "Mackinaw,"  a  sort  of  woolen  sweater.      10  00 

Two  sweaters  (extra  thick) 8  00 

Weight,  120  pounds.     Total  outfit $157  00 

1,310  pounds  of  supplies 116  80 

Grand  total,  1,430  pounds $273  80 

A  Woman's  Outfit  To  Take  North. 
Here  is  what  a  woman  who  has  roughed  it 
on  the  Klondike  says  a  woman  actually  needs 


\ 


J 


00 

00 

50 

00 

50 

50 

00 

50 

00 

25 

00 

00 

50 


A  PRACTICAL  CHAPTER. 


109 


00 

00 

00 

00 

00 

00 

00 

00 

00 

00 

30 

)0 

>0 

'0 

0 

) 


in  the  way  of  an  outfit — presupposing,  of  course, 
that  she  goes  the  only  way  a  woman  should 
go  with  a  man  who  takes  the  necessary  camp- 
ing, housekeeping  and  food  outfit.  This  is 
what  she  requires  for  her  personal  comfort : 

TO  TAKE   WITH   HER. 

One  medicine  case  filled  on  the  advice  of  a  good  physician. 

Two  pairs  of  extra  heavy  all-wool  blankets. 

One  small  pillow. 

One  fur  robe. 

One  warm  shawl. 

One  fur  coat,  easy  fitting. 

Three  warm  woolen  dresses,  with  comfortable  bodices  and 
skirts  knee  length — flannel  lined  preferable. 

Three  pairs  of  knickers  or  bloomers  to  match  the  dresses 

Three  suits  of  heavy  all-wool  underwear. 

Three  warm  flannel  night  dresses. 

Four  pairs  of  knitted  woolen  stockings. 

One  pair  of  rubber  boots. 

Three  gingham  aprons  that  reach  from  neck  to  knees. 

Small  roll  of  flannel  for  insoles,  wrapping,  the  feet,  and 
bandages. 

A  sewing  kit. 

Such  toilet  articles  as  are  absolutely  necessary,  including 
some  skin  unguent  to  protect  the  face  from  the  icy  cold. 

Two  light  blouses  or  shirt-waists  for  summer  wear. 

One  oilskin  blanket  to  wrap  her  effects  in. 

TO  BE  SECURED  AT  JUNEAU  OR  ST.  MICHAEL. 

One  fur  cap. 

Two  pairs  of  fur  gloves. 

Two  pairs  of  fur  seal  mocassins. 

Two  pairs  of  muclucs — wet  weather  mocassins. 

She  wears  what  she  pleases  en  route  to  Juneau  or  St. 
Michael,  and  when  she  makes  her  start  for  the  diggings  she 
lays  aside  her  civilized  traveling  garb,  including  shoes  and 
stays,  until  she  comes  out.  Instead  of  carry mg  the  fur 
robe,  fur  coat  and  rubber  boots  along  she  can  get  them  on 
entering  Alaska,  but  the  experienced  ones  say  take  them 


ifmf*4miim§M0i^^<- 


110 


A  PRACTICAL  CHAPTER. 


1    ^,i 


ilii  ^p 


ill   li 


along.  The  natives  make  a  fur  coat  with  hood  attached 
called  a  *'  parki,"  batit  is  clumsy  for  a  white  woman  to  wear 
who  has  been  accustomt  d  to  fitted  garments.  Leggings  and 
shoes  are  not  so  safe  nor  desirable  as  the  mocassins.^ 

A  trunk  is  not  the  thing  to  transport  baggage  in.  It  is 
much  better  in  a  pack,  with  the  oilskin  cover  well  tied  on. 

The  things  to  add  that  are  useful  but  not  absolutely  nec- 
essary are  choice  tea,  coifee,  cocoa  and  the  smaller,  lighter 
luxuries  of  civilization  that  purse  permits  and  appetite 
craves.  It  costs  just  as  much  for  portage  on  reading  matter 
as  on  the  other  necessities  of  life,  and  consequently  after 
making  out  a  list  of  what  you'd  like  to  have,  it  is  wise  to  cut 
■t  down  to  what  you  can't  possibly  struggle  along  without. 

It's  astonishing  how  little  people  can  comfortably  get 
along  with  when  they  try. 

These  nuggets  of  information  are  commend- 
ed to  all  intending  visits  to  the  Klondike  : 

The  only  way  to  live  is  to  imitate  the  Indians  in  dress  and 
habit. 

It  is  useless  to  wear  leather  or  gum  boots.  Good  mocas- 
sins are  absolutely  nece3sary. 

The  colder  it  is  the  better  the  traveling.  When  it  is  very 
cold  there  is  no  wind,  and  the  wind  is  hard  to  bear. 

Indian  guides  are  necessary  to  go  ahead  of  the  dogs  and 
prepare  the  camp  for  the  night. 

In  the  summer  the  sun  rises  early  and  sets  late,  and  there 
are  only  few  hours  when  it  is  not  shining  directly  on  Alaska. 

In  the  winter  the  sun  shines  for  a  short  time  only  each 
day. 

It  is  2,500  miles  from  San  Francisco  to  St.  Michael. 

It  is  1,895  miles  from  St.  Michael  to  Dawson  City. 

In  summer  the  weather  is  warm  and  tent  life  is  comfort- 
able. 

The  winter  lasts  nine  months. 

There  are  two  routes  by  which  to  reach  Dawson  Cit}'. 
One  by  St.  Michael  Island  and  the  other  via  Juneau. 

By  steamer  it  costs  $150 to  go  from  here  to  Dawson  City. 

Dogs  are  worth  their  weight  in  gold.  A  good  long-haired 
dog  sells  from  $150  to  $200. 

Skates  might  be  used  to  good  advantage  at  times. 


Iched 
rear 
and 

lit  is 
fn. 

pec- 
fhter 
Jtite 
itter 
Ifter 
cut 
t. 
get 


A  PRACTICAL  CHAPTER. 


Ill 


The  Yukon  River  is  closed  by  ice  from  November  to  tlio 
.atter  part  of  Ma>  . 

On  the  Klondike  the  thermometer  goes  as  low  as  60  de- 
grees below  zero. 

Tliere  is  a  great  variety  of  berries  to  be  found  all  througli 
the  country  in  summer. 

Game  is  very  scarce. 

Vegetables  of  the  hardier  sort  can  be  raised . 

Stock  can  be  kept  by  using  care  in  providing  abundantly 
with  feed  by  ensilage,  or  curing  natural  grass  hay,  and  by 
housing  them  in  the  winter. 

lu  summer  abundance  of  fine  grass  can  be  found  near  the 
rivers. 

In  appearance  the  natives  are  like  the  North  American 
Indians,  only  more  lithe  and  active,  with  very  small  feet 
and  hands. 

They  live  in  temporary  camps  both  winter  and  summer, 
either  in  the  mountains  or  on  the  river,  according  to  the 
habits  of  the  game  they  are  hunting. 

Gold  was  first  discovered  in  the  vicinity  of  Sitka  by  Frank 
Mahoney,  Edward  Doyle  and  William  Dunlay  in  1873. 

Of  the  seven  trading  stations  in  the  Yukon  district  five  are 
located  upon  the  river  bank . 

The  first  American  traders  to  engage  in  the  Yukon  trade 
were  members  of  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  expedition. 

With  the  first  breath  of  spring  the  up-river  people  prepare 
for  their  annual  meeting  with  their  friends  from  the  outside 
world. 

Supplies  are  purchased  chiefly  in  California,  and  carried 
from  here  to  St.  Michael. 

The  Yukon  is  navigable  for  a  250-ton  steamer  for  a  dis- 
tance of  1,600  miles. 

At  a  distance  of  600  miles  from  the  ocean  the  Yukon  River 
is  more  than  a  mile  wide . 

The  Klondike  mining  region  is  in  the  latitude  of  Iceland 
and  lower  Greenland. 

The  longitude  of  St.  Michael  is  farther  west  than  that  of 
Honolulu. 

It  should  be  stated  here  that  the  different 
departments  of  the  United  States  and  Cana- 
dian Governments  have  prepared  a  large  mass 


!  V    1 


—       I 


n}:i 


I'll  li 
I  ■  ■I 


^~*««»»MB«J«^)f«|^^^feV^j5«<}f Jj.ij': . 


A  PRACTICAL  CHAPTER. 


113 


of  valuable  material,  including  maps,  etc.,  of 
the  Klondike.  This  information  is  to  be  had 
on  api)lication,  either  free  or  at  a  nominal 
cost.  The  remarkable  spread  of  the  gold  fever 
throughout  the  country  has  created  such  a 
demand  for  information  that  both  Govern- 
ments have  been  obliged  to  order  a  new  supply 
of  such  of  the  printed  matter  and  maps  as  has 
been  exhausted  by  the  fierce  demand.  It  may, 
therefore,  be  some  time  before  the  various 
officials  will  be  able  to  supply  the  matter  called 
for  by  eager  citizens.  The  Canadian  Depart- 
ment has  issued  a  valuable  book  of  information 
regarding  the  Yukon  District  from  the  reports 
of  William  Ogilvie,  the  Dominion  Land  Sur- 
veyor, and  from  other  sources.  A  few  ex- 
cerpts of  a  practical  character  from  Mr.  Ogil- 
vie's  report  will  be  useful  to  those  who  have 
not  his  book  at  hand.  Concerning  the  facili- 
ties for  transportation,  Mr.  Ogilvie  says  : 

"The  Alaska  Commercial  Company  and  the i«Iorth  Ameri- 
can Transportation  and  Trading  Company  have  steamers 
l)lying  between  San  Francisco,  Seattle  and  St.  Michael.  At 
the  last  named  place  the  passengers  and  freight  are  trans- 
ferred to  stern  wheel  river  boats,  and  Cudahy  is  reached 
after  ascending  the  swift  current  of  the  Yukon  for  1,600  miles. 

The  Alaska  Commercial  Company's  steamer  Excelsior  is 
advertised  to  leave  San  Francisco  for  St.  Michael  on  or  about 
June  5th,  August  5th  and  September  5th,  connectinsr  with 
tlie  river  steamers  Alice,  Bella  and  Arctic  for  all  points  on 
the  Yukon  River. 

The  North  American  Transportation  and  Trading  Com- 
panv's  steamers  leave  San  Francisco  on  June  1st  and  August 
'-'"'■'  ^         ^ ^'■-       rare'       "^- 


Ist;  Seattle,  on  June 
from  Seattle." 


lOlh  and  Aiixust  10th. 


:r  ii-'lOO 


■■■«%.uj*»>,K*j«; 


■iitii";itir-"'V''^#'-'i(»i 


— ^ 


if 


I 


m   i 


m  ^si' 


\ 


*>*,. 


TRAIL    MAP  — JUNEAU    TO    DAWSON. 


Mi 


iil 


—    ^ 


^\\ 


f 


116 


A  PRACTICAL  CHAPTER. 


->mvl  ■  jfi,!' 

III      I 

mi 


■  V. 


With  reference  to  some  of  the  settlements 
the  report  says  : 

"  Sixty  Mile  Creek  is  about  one  hundred  miles  long,  very 
crooked,  with  a  swift  current  and  many  rapids,  and  is  there- 
fore not  easy  to  ascend. 

Miller,  Glacier,  Gold,  Little  Gold  and  Bedrock  Creeks  are 
all  tributaries  of  Sixty  Mile.  Some  of  the  richest  discoveries 
in  gold  so  far  made  in  the  interior  since  1894  have  been  made 
upon  these  creeks,  especially  has  this  been  the  case  upon  the 
two  first  mentioned.  There  is  a  claim  upon  Miller  Creek 
owned  by  Joseph  Boudreau  from  which  over  ^100,000  worth 
of  gold  is  said  to  have  been  taken  out. 

Freight  for  the  mines  is  taken  up  Forty  Mile  Creek  in 
summer  for  a  distance  of  thirty  miles,  then  portaged  across 
to  the  heads  of  Miller  and  Glacier  Creeks.  In  the  winter  it 
is  hauled  in  by  dogs. 

The  trip  from  Cudahy  to  the  post  at  the  mouth  of  Sixty 
Mile  River  is  made  by  ascending  Forty  Mile  River  a  small 
distance,  making  a  short  portage  to  Sixty  Mile  River  and 
running  down  with  its  swift  current.  Coming  back  on  the 
Yukon,  nearly  the  whole  of  the  round  trip  is  made  down 
stream. 

Indian  Creek  enters  the  Yukon  from  the  east,  about  thirty 
miles  below  Sixty  Mile.  It  is  reported  to  be  rich  in  gold, 
but  owing  to  the  scarcity  of  supplies  Hs  development  has 
been  retarded . 

At  the  mouth  of  Sixty  Mile  Creek  a  townsite  of  that  name 
is  located,  it  is  the  headquarters  for  upwards  of  100  miners, 
and  where  they  more  or  less  assemble  in  the  winter  months. 

Messrs.  Harper  &  Co.  have  a  trading  post  and  a  sawmill 
on  an  island  at  the  mouth  of  the  creek,  both  of  which  are  in 
charge  of  Mr.  J.  Ladue,  one  of  the  partners  of  the  firm,  and 
who  was  at  one  time  in  the  employ  of  the  Alaska  Commer- 
cial Companj^. 

Dawson  Citjjr  is  situated  at  the  mouth  of  the  Thron-Diuck, 
and  although  it  was  located  only  a  few  months  ago,  it  is  the 
scene  of  great  activity.  Very  rich  deposits  of  gold  have 
been  lately  found  on  iBonanza  Creek  and  other  affluents  of 
the  Thron-Diuck. 

Forty  Mile  townsite  is  situated  on  the  south  side  of  the 
Forty  Mile  River,  at  its  junction  with  the  Yukon.    The 


I     I 
t 


A  PRACTICAL  CHAPTER. 


117 


ments 


Iff,  very 
Is  there- 

'eks  are 

"overies 

|n  made 

[pon  the 

Creek 

worth 

[reek  in 

across 

finter  it 

Sixty 

I  small 

or  and 

on  the 

5  down 

t  thirty 
»  goid, 
nt  has 

;  name 
liners, 

OEiths, 

wmill 
are  in 
I,  and 
uner- 

iuck, 
3  the 
have 

ta  of 

the 
The 


Alaska  Commercial  Company  has  a  station  here,  which  was 
for  some  years  in  charge  of  L.  N.  McQucstion;  there  arc 
also  several  blacksmith  shops,  restaurants,  billiard  halls, 
bakeries,  an  opera  house,  and  so  on.  Rather  more  than  half 
a  mile  below  Forty  Mile  townsite  the  town  of  Cudahy  was 
founded  on  the  north  side  of  Forty  Mile  River  in  the  summer 
of  1892.  It  is  named  after  a  well-known  member  of  the 
North  American  Transportation  and  Trading  Company.  In 
population  and  extent  of  business  the  town  bears  comparison 
with  its  neighbor  ncross  the  river.  The  opposition  in  trade 
has  been  the  means  of  very  materially  reducing  the  cost  of 
supplies  and  living.  The  North  American  Transportation 
and  Trading  Company  has  erected  a  sawmill  and  some  large 
warehouses.  Fort  Constantine  was  established  here  imme- 
diately upon  the  arrival  of  the  Mounted  Police  detachment 
in  the  latter  part  of  July,  1895." 

Mr.  Ogilvie  states  that  the  Indians  are  per- 
fectly heartless.  They  will  not  render  the 
smallest  aid  to  each  other  without  payment, 
much  less  to  a  white  man. 

In  the  absence  of  thermometers  in  the  winter 
time,  miners  leave  their  mercury  out  all  night. 
When  they  find  it  frozen  solid  in  the  morning 
they  conclude  that  it  is  too  cold  to  work,  and 
stay  at  home. 

With  reference  to  the  general  character  of 

the  climate  and  health  conditions,  Surgeon  E. 

A.   Wills,   a  Canadian  official,   says    in    his 

report : 

"The  climate  is  wet.  The  rainfall  last  summer  was 
heavy.  Although  there  is  almost  a  continuous  sun  in  sum- 
mer time  evaporation  is  very  slow  owing  to  the  thick  moss, 
which  will  not  conduct  the  heat,  in  consequence  the  ground 
is  always  swampy.  It  is  only  after  several  years  of  draining 
that  ground  will  become  sufficiently  dry  to  allow  the  frost 
to  go  out,  and  then  only  for  a  few  feet.  During  the  winter 
months  the  cold  is  intense,  with  usually  considerable  wind. 


i 


118 


A  PRACTICAL  CHAPTER. 


1:1  I 


u   ill? 


^r 


A  heavy  mist  risins;  from  open  places  in  the  river  settles 
dowu  ill  the  valley  in  calm  extreme  weather.  This  damp- 
ness makes  the  cold  to  be  felt  much  more,  and  is  conducive 
to  rheumatic  pains,  colds,  etc. 

Miners  are  a  very  mixed  class  of  people.  They  represent 
many  nationalities,  and  come  from  all  climates.  Their  lives 
are  certainly  not  enviable.  The  reuculation  'miner's  cabin' 
is  12  feet  by  14  feet,  with  walls  6  feet  nnd  gables  8  feet  in 
height.  The  roof  is  heavily  earthed  and  the  cabin  is  gener- 
ally very  warm.  Two,  and  some  times  three  or  four  men, 
will  occupy  a  house  of  this  size.  The  ventilation  is  usually 
bad.  Those  miners  who  do  not  work  their  claims  dur- 
ing the  winter  confine  themselves  in  these  small  huts  most 
of  the  time. 

Very  often  they  become  indolent  and  careless,  only  eating 
those  things  which  are  most  easily  cooked  or  ])repared. 
During  the  busy  time  in  summer,  when  they  are  'shovelling 
in,*  they  work  hard  and  for  long  hours,  sparing  little  time 
for  eating  and  much  less  for  cooking. 

This  manner  of  living  is  quite  common  amongst  beginners, 
and  soon  leads  to  debility  and  sometimes  to  scurvy.  Old 
miners  have  learned  from  experience  to  value  health  more 
than  gold,  and  they  therefore  spare  no  expense  in  procuring 
the  best  and  most  varied  outfit  of  food  that  can  be  obtained. 

In  a  cold  climate  such  as  this,  where  it  is  impossible  to  get 
fresh  vegetables  and  fruits,  it  is  most  impoitant  that  the  best 
substitutes  for  these  should  be  proviilcd.  Nature  helps  to 
supply  these  wants  by  growing  cranberries  and  other  wild 
fruits  in  abundance,  but  men  in  summer  are  usually  too  busy 
to  avail  themselves  of  these . 

The  diseases  met  with  in  this  country  are  dyspepsia, 
anaemia,  scurvy,  caused  by  improixrly  cooked  food,  same- 
ness of  diet,  overwork,  want  of  fresh  vegetables,  overheated 
and  badly  ventilated  houses;  rheumatism,  pneumonia,  bron- 
chitis, enteritis,  cystitis,  and  otiier  acute  diseases,  from  ex- 
posure to  wet  and  cold;  debility  and  chronic  diseases,  due  to 
excesses.  Venereal  diseases  are  not  u)icommon.  One  case 
of  typhoid  fever  occurred  in  Forty  Mile  last  fall,  ])r()bably 
due  to  drinking  water  i)olluted  with  decayed  vegetable 
matter. 

lu  selecting  men  to  relieve  in  this  country,  I  beg  to  submit 


■'- 1 


»■  in 


-t^i^i 


■■^•''•''^'■*<'-<i»mmmm^m>^immm»-' 


A  PRACTICAL  CHAPTER. 


119 


rfycr  settles 

inis  dainp- 

is  conducive 

[eyrepresciit 
!  Their  Jives 
Pcr's  cabin' 
lies  8  feet  in 
f "  lis  gener- 
foiiT  men, 
>i  is  iisualjy 
"laims  (I(ir- 
1  liuts  most 

"nly  eati/irr 
^  I>i'e]'ared. 
'shove]  ling 
^ittJe  time 

beginners, 
"ivy.     Old 
C'lHh  more 
1  procurin.f 
e_  obtained? 
"^ible  to  get 
lat  tlie  best 
"■0  helps  (o 
otluT  wiki 
'y  too  busy 

%spejisia, 
^f>d,  sanie- 
'verheated 
'»ia,  broil- 

from  ex- 
f's,  due  to 

One  case 

I)r()bably 
vegetable 

o  submit 


I 


a  few  remarks,  some  of  which  will  be  of  assistance  to  the 
medical  examiners  in  making  their  recommendations. 

Men  should  be  sober,  strong  and  healthy.  Tliey  should 
he  practical  men,  able  to  adapt  themselves  quickly  to  their 
surroundings.  Special  care  should  be  taken  to  see  that  their 
lungs  are  sound,  that  they  are  free  from  rheuinatism  and 
rheumatic  tendency,  and  that  their  joints,  especially  knee 
joints,  are  strong,  and  have  never  been  weakened  by  injury, 
synovitis,  or  other  disease.  It  is  also  very  important  to  con- 
sider their  teri^peraments.  Men  should  be  of  cheerful,  hope- 
ful dispositions  and  willing  workers.  Those  of  sullen, 
morose  natures,  although  they  may  be  good  workers,  are 
very  apt,  as  soon  as  the  novelty  of  the  country  wears  ofl",  to 
become  clissaiisfied,  pessimistic  and  melancholy." 

Those  readers  who  are  desirous  of  going  ex- 
haustively into  the  subject  of  Alaska  and  its 
history  cannot  do  better  than  to  consult, 
among  others,  the  following  works  on  the 
subject  : 

Shores  and  Alps  of  Alaska H.  W.  Seton  Karr. 

Guide  to  Yukon  Gold  Field Y.  Wilson. 

Papers  and  Correspondence  Relat- 
ing to  Russian  America Government  Publication. 

Report  of  Military  Reconnaissance 
in  Alaska,  made  in  1883 Schwatka. 

Reconnaissance  in  Alaska,  1885. . .  .Allen. 

Population  and  Resources  of  Alas- 
ka, 1880 PetrofE. 

Report  of  the  Population,  Industries 
and  Resources  of  Alaska,  1884.  .Petroflf. 

Report  of  the  Governors  of  Alaska, 
1884-'85-'86 

Facts  about  Alaska  (pamphlet) Sheldon  Jackson. 

Alaska  and  Its  Resources Wm.  H.  Dall. 

History  of  Alaska,  1730-1883 Bancroft 


N 


■w^ 


—  ( 


\ 


^'^iii 


!i 


■jcw wm— ■ 


THE    LAW   OF   MINING. 

United  States  and  Canada. 

A  Synopsi?  of  all  Laws  Gcvetning  the  Mining  of  Precious  Metals 

"Within  the  United  States  and  the  Regulations 

Governing  Placer  Mining  "Within 

the  Northwest  T,  rriiories. 

Compiled  by  a  Member  of  the  New  York  Bar. 

"  I  Stand  here  for  justice  and  the  law." 

— 8hakespea/re, 

It  is  one  of  the  purposes  of  this  book  to  give 
in  as  succinct  a  form  as  possible  a  resume  of 
the  mining  laws  of  the  United  States  which 
govern  the  gold  fields  of  Alaska,  and  also  the 
laws  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada  and  the  North- 
west Territories. 

A  perusal  of  the  Canadian  regulations  shows 
that  no  restrictions  are  put  upon  American  citi- 
zens, but  that  they  may  take  up  claims  and 
operate  them  with  the  same  freedom  enjoyed 
by  subjects  of  the  Queen.  There  are  certain 
forms  that  must  be  observed  before  ownership 
in  claims  may  be  established,  which  are  clearly 
set  forth,  and  the  Gold  Commissioner,  it  v/ili 
noted,  is  invested  with  extraordinary  powers. 

There  is  no  certainty  that  these  regiuatioAre 


■'iM 

m 


Ju.  J--..^  *-- ■ 


THE  LAW  OP  MINING. 


121 


will  not  be  changed  so  far  fcs  aliens  are  con- 
cerned. It  does  not  appear  at  present  writing 
that  any  difference  will  arise  over  the  boun- 
dary question,  as  the  same  seems  to  be  in  a  fair 
way  of  settlement,  but  should  any  complica- 
tions arise  in  adjustment  of  the  boundary  dis- 
pute it  may  result  in  the  discrimination  of  the 
Canadian  Government  against  aliens  without 
the  violation  of  any  treaty  now  existing. 

The  principle  acted  upon  by  most  nations  is 
that  mines  are  public  property  and  a  part  of  the 
natural  domain  worked  by  the  state  on  its  own 
account  or  granted  by  the  state  to  individuals 
to  be  worked  by  them  under  certain  conaitions. 
The  principle  was  founded  upon  the  divine 
right  of  kings  to  the  best.  Gold  and  silver  have 
always  belonged  to  the  king  by  virtue  of  the 
royal  prerogative.  The  territories  have  no  title 
10  the  unappropriated  minerals  in  the  public 
Iriiids.  Prior  to  the  Act  of  Congress  of  July 
0^:11,  1866,  the  United  States  had  not  done 
ai  /thing  which  amounted  to  a  dedication  to 
the  public  of  the  minerals  in  the  public  lands. 

Congress  prior  to  15S6  passed  some  acts  re- 
serving mineral  lands  from  saie,  but  did  noth- 
ing else  in  regard  to  mineral  lands.  Until 
July,  1866,  it  was  a  trespass  to  dig  or  remove 
minerals  on  the  public  lands. 

In  July,  1866,  the  general  act  throwing  open 
to  exploration  and  purchase  by  any  citizen  of 
the  United  States  or  any  one  who  has  declared 


.■mii..^T6i^,mM 


■T.>rJ 


\ 


I'.     J 


il  '&i    M 


I  ill      ^ 


13d 


THIil  LJlVT  of  mining. 


his  intention  to  become  such,  all  the  mineral 
lands  lying  in  the  public  domain.  The  pro- 
visions governing  this  subject  are  now  all  con- 
tained in  the  United  States  Revised  Statutes. 
This  article  be*. '.>T  a  synopsis  of  the  aforesaid 
sections  as  ini'  ited  by  the  governmental 
departments  ana  .ourts.  Copies  of  these  se(  - 
tions  of  the  statutes  can  be  had  by  sending  to 
the  Interior  Department  at  Washington. 

These  acts  created  three  distinct  classes  of 
titles  described  as  follows  by  the  Secretary  of 
the  Interior:  *'A  title  by  right  of  possession 
is  the  lowest  grade  of  title  known  to  the  min- 
ing laws ;  the  next  is  the  equitable  title  which 
accrues  upon  purchase  and  entry ;  while  the 
third  and  final  grade  is  the  fee  simple  which  is 
acquired  by  patent. " 

The  original  act  provided  that  the  mineral 
lands  should  be  open  to  exploration  and  pur- 
chase by  all  citizens  of  the  United  States  and 
those  who  have  declared  their  intention  to  be- 
come such.  In  this  point  of  citizenship  being 
requisite  to  the  exercise  of  their  right  there  has 
been  no  change  in  the  law. 

The  reasons  for  thus  limiting  mining  rights 
are  very  forcibly  set  forth  in  the  report  of  the 
select  committee  to  the  provisional  legislature 
of  California  in  1850.  Also  in  the  debates  in 
the  United  States  Senate,  1850. 

There  is  no  distinction  made  in  th(^  raining 
law  on  account  of  age  or  sex,  and  the  female 


'.,-■ t-jmu.. 


''•-~«»«*»«aii«i«ste«.'*w.« 


■1 

r"" 

.'I 

mineral 

X 

'he  pro- 

all  con- 

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< 

fcatutes. 

■,1 

foresaid 

imental 

ese  se(  - 

ding  to 

1 

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itary  of 

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m 

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M 

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15 


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THH  LAW  OF   MINING. 


123 


who  comes  within  the  terms  of  the  law  has 
capacity  to  make  a  valid  location,  as  has  also 
a  minor. 

The  rignt  to  mine  can  be  given  whether  by- 
State  or  federal  laws,  only  in  public  lands. 
When  the  lands  have  become  the  property  of 
an  individual  the  government's  right  over  them 
is  gone. 

The  Act  of  1866  does  not  designate  the  char- 
acter of  mineral  lands  which  are  open  to  ex- 
ploration; but  the  Act  of  1872  provides  that 
they  must  contain  "valuable  mineral  deposits," 
but  non-mineral  lands  may  be  located  as  mill 
sites  either  in  connection  with  a  lode  location 
or  separate  therefrom.  Mineral  lands  are  not 
subject  to  entry  and  settlement  under  the 
homestead  acts,  nor  can  title  to  land  known  at 
the  time  to  be  valuable  for  its  minerals  be  ob- 
tained under  any  law  except  those  specially 
pertaining  to  mineral  lands,  and  locations  for 
mining  purposes  made  upon  reserved  lands  are 
void. 

The  statute  defines  a  placer  to  be  any  form 
of  deposit  except  veins  of  quartz  or  other  rock 
in  place.  No  placer  location  can  exceed  160 
acres  and  no  one  individual  can  locate  more 
than  twenty  acres.  Where  a  person  is  in  pos- 
session of  a  placer  claim  which  includes  one  or 
more  lodes  or  veins  he  must  in  his  apphcation 
for  a  patent  state  that  fact,  or  the  lodes  will 
be  excluded  from  his  patent,  provided  that  they 


i  ■ 


— ri 


:«t.«»isjS«f*J^' 


vimjgp 


;^:? 


U; 


!       '         it 


1, 


124 


THE  LAW  OF  MINING. 


are  known  to  exist  at  the  time  of  such  appli- 
cation. If  they  are  not  known  to  exist  at  the 
time,  then  the  patent  for  the  placer  ground  will 
convey  all  the  mineral  and  other  deposits  within 
the  boundaries  thereof.  If  made  on  surveyed 
lands  the  location  must  conform  to  the  United 
States  surveys  as  near  as  practicable ;  but,  where 
they  cannot  be  so  made,  a  survey  and  plat  may 
be  made  as  on  unsurveyed  lands. 

Under  the  Act  of  1 866,  no  single  locator  could 
claim  more  than  two  hundred  feet  on  the  same 
vein,  except  that  an  additional  two  hundred 
feet  was  allowed  to  the  discoverer  of  the  vein, 
nor  should  a  patent  issue  for  more  than  one 
vein  or  lode.  No  association  of  persons,  how- 
ever large,  cordd  take  up  more  than  three 
thousand  feet  on  any  one  ledge. 

The  Act  of  May  10th,  1872,  changed  this  by 
providing  that  no  claim  located  after  that  date 
should  exceed  fifteen  hundred  feet  on  each  side 
of  the  middle  of  the  vein  at  the  surface.  It 
further  provided  that  no  mining  regulation 
should  ever  limit  the  width  of  the  location  to 
less  th  -n  twenty-five  feet  on  each  side  of  the 
middle  of  the  vein. 

The  last-mentioned  act  further  provided  that 
locators  should  have  the  exclusive  right  of  all 
the  surface  included  within  the  lines  of  the  lo- 
cation, together  with  all  veins  throughout  their 
entire  depth,  the  top  or  apex  of  which  should 


h^^ 


I        ! 
I 


^!t)^i««mj>a»mmtmf 


appli- 

lat  the 

Id  will 

Jwithin 

(rveyed 

United 

where 

ttmay 

' could 
3  same 
mdred 

vein, 
n  one 

how- 
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his  by 
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lation 
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f  all 
elo- 
:heir 
ould 


THE  LAW  OP  MINING. 


125 


lie  inside  of  such  surface  lines  extended  verti- 
cally downward. 

The  purpose  of  these  acts  is  not  alone  to  fix 
a  certain  quantity  of  surface  ground  to  be  al- 
lowed the  locator  for  working  purposes,  but 
also  to  protect  him  in  the  exclusive  possession 
and  enjoyment  of  all  vr^ins  or  ledges  which 
have  their  apexes  within  his  sui'face  lines. 

A  valid  location  of  a  mining  claim  can  be 
made  only  when  the  ground  is  open  to  explor- 
ation and  appropriation.  Discovery  and  appro- 
priation are  the  sources  of  right,  and  develop- 
ment the  condition  of  continued  possession. 
The  Act  of  1866  allowed  the  location  of  any 
vein  or  lode  of  quartz  or  other  rock  in  place 
bearing  gold,  silver,  cinnabar  or  copper.  The 
language  of  the  Act  of  1872,  as  contained  in 
the  Eevised  Statutes,  is  ^*  veins  or  lodes  of 
quartz  or  other  rock  in  place  bearing  gold,  sil- 
ver, cinnabar,  lead,  tin,  copper  or  other  valu- 
able deposits." 

The  certificates  of  location  are  presumptive 
evidence  of  discovery,  and  every  reasonable 
presumption  should  be  indulged  in  in  favor  of 
the  integrity  of  the  locations. 

It  is  not  necessary  that  the  locator  shall 
actually  be  present  on  the  ground.  One  may 
locate  as  agent  for  another,  and  one  may  locate 
for  himself  and  others. 

The  several  states  have  power  to  provide  by 
law  for  the  location,  development  and  working 


i     t 


i«>*i>i'»»«v:««^^ij%i«i£i 


•/■V^^jl'"'  '""^ 


\ 


126 


THE  LAW  OF  MINING. 


of  miues  subject  only  to  the  paramount  effect 
of  the  federal  laws;  and  the  miners  themselves 
may  make  rules  and  regulations  for  such  pur- 
poses which  have  the  effect  of  laws  so  far  as 
they  are  not  inconsistent  with  the  laws  of  the 
United  States. 

All  that  is  required  by  the  acts  of  congress  is 
that  the  location  shall  be  along  the  vein  or  lode ; 
that  it  shall  be  distinctly  marked  on  the  ground 
so  that  its  boundaries  can  be  readily  traced; 
that  the  record  shall  contain  such  description 
by  reference  to  some  natural  object  or  perma- 
nent monument  as  will  identify  the  claim,  and 
that  all  the  lines  shall  be  parallel.  All  other 
details  are  left  to  be  governed  by  the  rules  and 
regulations  of  the  miners  in  each  district, 
which  are  valid  and  effectual  if  not  inconsist- 
ent with  the  act  of  congress  or  any  state  law. 

The  acts  of  congress  do  not  require  that  any 
notice  shall  be  posted  on  the  claim,  only  that 
one  shall  be  recorded.  But  all  rules  and  regu- 
lations of  miners  and  the  statutes  of  most 
states  and  territories  do  require  the  posting  of 
such  notice  on  the  ground  as  well  as  its  record 
in  the  proper  office.  The  verification  of  the  lo- 
cation notice  must  state  the  date  of  the  location 
of  the  mine. 

While  the  acts  of  congress  do  not  expressly 
require  a  record  of  a  mining  location,  they  pro- 
vide that  all  records,  if  such  exist  or  are  re- 
quired by  any  mining  regulation,  shall  contain 


^.i^Ti^S 


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Jmselves 
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the  lo- 
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ressly 
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ntain 


THE   LAW  OF  MINING. 


127 


1 


the  name  or  names  of  the  locators,  the  date  of 
the  location,  and  such  description  of  the  claim  lo- 
cated by  reference  to  some  natural  object  or  per- 
manent monument  as  will  identify  the  claim.  As 
has  been  stated,  the  mines  in  each  district  may 
enact  additional  requirements.  In  all  mining 
districts  they  usually  do  by  a  meeting  called  by 
at  least  six  miners,  following  about  the  same 
rules  as  wei^e  originally  adopted  by  the  Cali- 
fornia miners.  The  federal  laws  do  not  make 
any  definite  amount  of  work  essential  to  the 
validity  of  a  location,  but  under  the  statutes  of 
some  of  the  states  and  under  the  mining  regu- 
lations of  many  mining  districts  a  certain 
amount  of  work  must  be  done  before  the  location 
is  complete. 

The  statute  provides  that  any  one  running  a 
tunnel  for  the  development  of  a  vein  or  for  the 
discovery  of  mines  shall  have  the  same  right 
of  possession  of  all  veins  or  lodes  on  the  line  of 
such  tunnel  within  three  thousand  feet  of  the  face 
thereof  which  shall  be  discovered  on  such 
tunnel,  and  which  were  not  previously  know  ii 
to  exist,  as  if  the  discovery  was  made  from  the 
surface.  If  other  parties  shall,  while  such 
tunnel  is  being  prosecuted  with  reasonable 
diligence,  locate  on  the  line  of  such  tunnel, 
any  vein  not  appearing  on  the  surface,  such 
location  shall  be  invalid.  A  failure  for  six 
months  to  prosecute  w^ork  on  the  tunnel  con- 


i 


mfriuimmfiiSa 


{ 


I 


t 


128 


THE  LAW  OF  MINING. 


u 


ili 


■if  1 


stitutes  an  abandonment  of  all  undiscovered 
veins  on  the  line  thereof. 

The  question  of  abandonment  is  principally- 
one  of  intention,  whether  the  ground  was  left 
by  the  locator  without  any  intention  of  return- 
ing and  making  a  future  use  of  it.  Forfeiture 
mean  the  loss  of  a  previously  acquired  right  to 
mine  certain  ground,  by  a  failure  to  perform 
certain  acts  or  observe  certain  rules,  and  differs 
from  abandonment  in  that  it  involves  no  ques- 
tion of  intent. 

A  failure  to  perform  the  annual  work  re- 
quired by  statute  works  a  forfeiture  of  the 
mining  claim  and  the  same  becomes  open  to 
re-location,  unless  the  original  locators,  their 
heirs,  assigns  or  legal  representatives,  resume 
work  upon  such  claim  before  a  re-location  has 
been  made. 

A  failure  to  comply  with  local  rules  or  cus- 
toms works  a  forfeiture,  if  the  local  rules  so 
provide. 

To  suffer  tailings  to  run  away,  without  any 
effort  to  retain  or  confine  them,  constitutes  an 
abandonment  of  them. 

Where  the  owner  of  a  mining  claim  has 
failed  to  comply  with  the  statutory  require- 
ments, or  the  claim  is  forfeited  by  reason  of 
non-observance  of  any  local  rule  or  custom,  the 
same  is  subject  to  -^e-location. 

Any  person  may  then  enter  peacably  upon  the 
claim  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  location 


f 


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4.V 


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1>**«W*V>5S|»»fest'#-«}S»;,'r 


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THB   LAW  OP  MINING. 


129 


thereof,  unless  the  original  claimant  has  re- 
auraecl  work  thereon. 

A  re-location  is  made  in  the  same  manner  as 
nn  orii!:innl  location.  And  the  re-locator  of  an 
abandoned  mining  claim  has  the  same  time  to 
porfcrin  tlie  acts  required  by  law  or  custom  as 
the  original  locator  had.  A  re-location  is  an 
admission  of  the  validity  of  the  original  claim, 
and  also  a  claim  of  forfeiture,  as  to  the  original 
locator. 

A  party  may  under  proper  circumstances  re- 
locate his  own  claim,  or  that  which  he  holds  in 
common  with  others. 

The  statute  provides  that  during  each  year, 
until  a  patent  issues,  not  less  than  one  hundred 
dollars  of  labor  shall  be  performed,  or  improve- 
ments made,  on  every  claim.  But  where  claims 
are  held  in  common,  such  expenditure  may  be 
made  on  any  one  claim.  If  a  tunnel  is  run  for 
the  purpose  of  developing  a  lode  or  lodes,  the 
running  of  such  tunnel  shall  dispense  with  the 
necessity  of  performing  work  on  the  surface. 

The  period  within  which  the  annual  work  is 
required  to  be  done  shall  commence  on  the  first 
day  of  January  succeeding  the  date  of  the 
location. 

Priority  of  location  confers  the  better  title, 
where  both  parties  rely  on  possession  alone, 
priority  of  possession  gives  the  better  right. 

Where  veins  intersect  or  cross  each  other, 
the  prior  locator  shall  be  entitled  to  all  ore  or 


'^■!i<*.-m»^<iejmms 


mmi-  '^ 


'I     In    I 


un 


130 


•x^B  LAW  OF  MINING. 


mineral  contained  within  the  space  of  inter- 
section, the  subsequent  locator  being  entitled 
to  a  right  of  way  through  said  space  where 
two  or  more  veins  unite,  the  oldest  location 
takes  the  vein  below  the  point  of  union,  in- 
cluding all  the  space  of  intersection. 

Before  the  adoption  of  the  Act  of  1866,  min- 
ing claims  upon  the  public  lands  were  held 
under  regulations  adopted  by  the  miners 
themselves  in  different  localities.  And  though 
since  1886,  Congress  has  to  some  extent  legis- 
lated on  the  subject  prescribing  the  limits  of 
location  and  appropriation  and  the  extent  of 
mining  ground  which  one  may  thus  acquire, 
miners  are  still  permitted  in  their  respective 
disti  jts  to  make  rules  and  regulations  not  in 
conflict  with  the  laws  of  the  United  States,  or 
of  the  state  or  territory  in  which  the  districts 
are  situate,  governing  the  location,  manner  of 
recording,  and  amount  of  work  necessary  to 
acquire  and  hold  possession  of  a  claim. 

That  act  declared  the  public  lands  to  be  open 
to  exploration  and  occupation,  subject  to  such 
regulations  as  may  be  prescribed  by  law,  and 
subject  also  to  the  locax  customs  or  rules  of 
miners  in  the  several  mining  districts,  so  far  as 
the  same  may  not  be  in  conflict  with  the  laws 
of  the  United  S'  ates. 

Section  9,  of  the  same  act,  also  recognizes  the 
force  of  these  customs  and  laws  as  applied  to 
water  rights. 


inter- 

ititled 

[where 

fcation 

)u,  in- 

1?  min- 
held 
iners 
ough 
legis- 
its  of 
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ly  to 

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and 
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the 
[  to 


THE   LAW  OF  MINING. 


131 


These  provisions  are  continued  in  force  by 
the  Act  of  1872  and  the  Eevised  Statutes;  and 
the  latter  act  contains  an  additional  provision, 
expressly  granting  to  the  miners  of  the  re- 
spective mining  districts  the  right  to  make  any 
regulations  not  in  conflict  with  the  laws  of  the 
United  States  or  the  laws  of  the  state  or  terri- 
tory in  which  the  district  is  situated,  governing 
the  location,  manner  of  recording  and  amount 
of  work  necessary  to  hold  possession  of  a  mining 
claim. 

Those  who  have  created  a  mining  district 
may  change  its  size  or  boundaries,  if  vested 
rights  are  not  affected  thereby. 

A  mining  corporation  may  be  represented  at 
meetings  in  mining  districts  by  any  of  its 
officers  or  by  any  agent. 

One  who  has  made  a  location  in  compliance 
with  law  is  entitled,  so  long  as  he  complies  v/ith 
the  Jaws  of  the  United  States,  and  with  state, 
territorial  and  local  regulations  not  in  conflict 
therewith,  to  !  he  exclusive  right  of  possession 
and  enjoyment  of  all  the  surface  included 
within  the  lines  of  his  location,  >nd  all  veins, 
lodes  and  ledges  throughout  thfiv  entire  depth, 
the  top  or  apex  of  which  lies  inside  of  such  sur- 
face lines  extended  downward  vertically,  al- 
though such  veins,  lodes  or  ledges  may  so  far 
depart  from  a  perpendicular  in  their  downward 
course  as  to  extend  outside  the  side  lines  of  the 
location ;  but  such  right  shall  not  extend  beyond 


.'4S«i.wJ:f«i«(fet!Jtiif^ 


132 


TEE  LAW  OF  MINING. 


■8  !• 


•i! 


u'aiii 


mw 


the  end  lines  of  the  location  projected  in  their 
own  direction  till  they  intersect  the  veins  or 
ledges.     This  is  the  apex  rule. 

IJntil  a  patent  issues,  the  fee  to  mineral  lands 
in  the  public  domains  jV/nains  in  the  Uiiite<i 
States.  But  any  person  coining  vrithin  the 
provision  of  the  acts  of  Congress  aciiuires  ?: 
right  to  purchase  them  from  the  g(j\  (.'nimeiit 
by  complying  with  those  acts. 

The  applicant  for  a  patent  must  hie  an  aj)- 
plication  under  oath  in  the  proper  land  office, 
showing  a  compliance  with  the  law,  togethci- 
with  a  plat  and  field  notes,  made  by  or  under 
direction  of  the  United  States  surveyor-gen- 
eral, of  the  claim  or  claims,  and  shall  post  a 
copy  of  the  plat,  together  with  a  notice  of  the 
application,  on  the  land  ;  he  murt  file  an  affi- 
davit of  the  posting  of  such  notice  and  a  copy 
of  the  notice  itself  in  the  land  office.  The  reg- 
ister of  the  land  office  shall  post  the  notice  in 
his  office  for  sixty  days,  and  shall  publish  it  for 
the  same  period  in  the  newspaper  nearest  to 
the  claim. 

The  claimant  must  also  file  with  the  register 
the  surveyor- general's  certificate  tliat  $500 
worth  of  labor  has  been  expended  or  improve- 
ments made  upon  the  claim  by  the  applicant  or 
his  grantors. 

At  the  end  of  sixty  days  tlie  a})])licant  shall 
be  entitled  to  a  patent  upon  payment  of  85  an 
acre,  if  the  claim  is  for  a  lode  location,  and 


M 


THE  LAW  OF   MINING. 


133 


their 

tis  or 

lands 
Mittd 

the 


$2.50  an  acre  if  for  a  placer  location,  unless 
during  said  sixty  days  an  adverse  claim  shall 
have  been  filed  with  the  register  and  receiver 
of  the  land  office  in  which  the  application  is 
filed  ;  after  which  time  no  objection  to  cIk^ 
issuance  of  the  patent  made  by  third  paitios 
shall  be  heard. 

Any  adverse  claim  must  be  fiJed  within  the 
sixty  days,  and  must  be  under  oath  of  the  ad- 
verse claimant.  Thereupon  proceedings  shall 
be  stayed  until  the  controversy  shall  have 
been  settled  or  decided  by  a  court  of  competent 
jurisdiction. 

The  adverse  claimant  must  within  thirty 
days  after  filing  his  adverse  claim  commence 
proceedings  in  a  court  of  competent  juris- 
diction to  determine  his  right  md  prosecute 
the  same  with  reasonable  diligen(  (>  to  find 
judgment,  or  his  claim  will  be  deamed  ^  aived. 
The  party  in  whose  favor  judgment  is  rei  der- 
ed  shall,  upon  filing  a  copy  of  the  judgment 
roll  with  the  register,  and  complying  with  the 
other  provisions  for  obtaining  a  patent,  be  en- 
titled to  a  patent  for  the  claim  or  such  portion 
thereof  as  the  decision  of  the  court  shows  him 
entitled  to.  These  sections  do  not  apply  w4ier(^ 
a  person  before  the  required  publication  has 
gone  through  all  the  regular  proceedings  re- 
quired to  obtain  a  patent  for  mineral  land  and 
has  received  his  patent. 

The  transferable  character  of  mming  loca- 


■~fi 


.-.,<;,rf*i««sft';ii4fc- 


^'^'-'-^^      ■' 


Mm 


..ay&Httufihd 


te  -I, 


134 


THE  LAW  OF  MINING. 


Hi 


'I 


I 


%\ 


tions  has  been  ab^^ays  recognized  by  the  courts 
and  the  title  of  tiie  grantee  enforced.  It  is  not 
necessary  that  the  transfer  should  be  in  writ- 
ing, as  a  transfer  of  the  possession  is  sufficient 
except  in  those  States  that  have  statutes  re- 
quiring that  the  conveyance  must  have  the 
same  form  and  solemnity  as  the  conveyance  of 
any  other  real  estate.  The  patent  is  also  as- 
signable .  There  is  no  implied  warranty  in  the 
sale  of  a  mining  claim. 

Interpretation. 

Ore — Minerals  in  natural  condition. 

Lode  or  Vein — A  flatten':-'^  mass  of  metallic 
or  earthy  matter  differing  materially  in  its 
nature  from  the  rocks  or  strata  in  which  it 
occurs,  a  fissui3  in  the  earth's  crust  filled  with 
mineral  matter,  or  aggregations  of  mineral 
matter,  containing  ores  in  fissures.  The  term 
as  used  in  the  acts  of  Congress  is  applicable  to 
any  zone  or  belt  of  mineralized  rock  lying 
within  boundaries  clearly  separating  it  from 
the  neighboring  rock.  The  words  vein,  lode, 
and  ledge  are  nearly  synonymous. 

A  Mine  is  a  way  or  passage  underground,  a 
subterranean  duct  course  or  passage,  and  is 
distinguished  from  a  '^  quarry,"  which  is  a  pit 
wrought  from  the  surface. 

Face  op  Tunnel — This  term,  as  used  in  sec- 
tion 2323  of  the  Eevised  Statutes,  is  held  to  be 
the  first  working  face  formed  in  the  timnel, 


ii 


111. .  Ill  iuuir" 


I iiiiiiiM,pii 


THE  LAW  or  MINING. 


135 


>urts 

3  not 

vrit- 

!ient 

re- 

tho 

feof 

as- 

the 


and  to  signify  the  point  at  which  the  tunnel 
actually  enters  cover. 

Location  and  Mining  Claim — These  terms 
do  not  always  mean  the  same  thing.  A  min- 
ing claim  is  a  parcel  of  land  containing  prec- 
ious metal  in  its  soil  or  rock.  A  location  is 
the  act  of  appropriating  such  parcel  according 
to  certain  established  rules.  But  in  time  the 
location  came  to  be  considered  among  miners 
as  synonymous  with  the  mining  claim  origi- 
nally appropriated .  A  mining  claim  may  in- 
clude one  or  several  locations. 

Apex — The  end  or  edge  of  a  vein  nearer:  t 
the  surface. 

Level — The  word  as  used  in  mining  means 
a  working  and  is  not  necessarily  a  plane. 

Dip — The  direction  or  inclination  towards 
the  depth. 

Along  the  Vein — Along  the  longitudinal 
course  or  strike. 

Placer  Claim  —  Ground  within  defined 
boundaries  which  contains  mineral  in  its  earth, 
sand  or  gravel;  ground  that  includes  valuable 
deposits  not  in  place — that  is,  not  fixed  in  rock, 
but  which  are  in  a  loose  state,  and  may  in 
most  cases  be  collected  by  washing  or  amal- 
gamation without  milling. 


'  'I 


m 


■iilii 


m 


^ 


■m 


mmm. 


m-. 


136 


THE   LAW   OF   MINING. 


:< 


•!•-'•   B 


^11^ 


1^ 
ill 


I    -iA*  5»'      I 

hI  I' 


HII 


( ' 


Regulations  Governing  Placer  Mining  along 

the  Yukon  River  and  its  Tributaries 

in  the  Northwest  Territories* 

In  force  August,  1897. 

Interpretation. 

*' Bar  diggings"  shall  mean  any  part  of  a 
river  over  which  the  water  extends  when  the 
water  is  in  its  flooded  state,  and  which  is  not 
covered  at  low  water. 

Mines  on  benches  shall  be  known  as  **  bench 
diggings  "  and  shall  for  the  purpose  of  defining 
the  size  of  such  claims  be  excepted  from  dry- 
diggings. 

"  Dry  diggings"  shall  mean  any  mine  over 
which  a  river  never  extends. 

"  Miner"  shall  mean  a  male  or  female  over 
the  age  of  eighteen,  but  not  under  that  age. 

"Claim"  shall  mean  the  personal  right  of 
property  in  a  placer  mine  or  diggings  during 
the  time  for  which  the  grant  of  such  mine  or 
diggings  is  made. 

''Legal  post"  shall  mean  a  stake  standing 
not  less  than  four  feet  above  the  ground  and 
squared  on  four  sides  for  at  least  one  foot  from 
the  top.  Both  sides  so  squared  shall  measure 
at  least  four  inches  across  the  face.  It  shall 
also  mean  any  stump  or  tree  cut  off  and 
squared  or  faced  to  the  above  height  and  size. 


SBS 


long 


a 

the 
not 


en 

M 
< 

o 


Ed 

5 

o 

« 

O 
"A 


^ 


«t«,>.as.s!«#>.isaiiiar' 


-■*-'^'       '%i1[iliili^rF  f  I  I       I     i>  '•— H 


itaiUM 


Pi 


UPPP^^ 


-I 


188 


THH  LAW  OF  MINllfft. 


PI 


m  4 ' 


■■■«.?■    '  4    • 


**  Close  season  "  shall  mean  the  period  of  the 
year  during  which  placer  mining  is  generally- 
suspended.  The  period  to  be  fixed  by  the  Gold 
Commissioner  in  whose  district  the  claim  is 
situated. 

^'Locality "  shall  mean  the  territory  along 
a  river  (tributary  of  the  Yukon  River)  and  its 
affluents. 

*' Mineral"  shall  include  all  minerals  what- 
soever other  than  coal. 

Nature  and  Size  of  Gaims. 

1.  ''  Bar  diggings,"  a  strip  of  land  100  feet 
wide  at  high-water  mark,  and  thence  extend- 
ing into  the  river  to  its  lowest  water  level. 

2.  The  sides  of  a  claim  for  bar  digging  shall 
be  two  parallel  lines  run  as  nearly  as  possible 
ftt  right  angles  to  the  stream  and  shall  be 
narked  by  four  legal  posts,  one  at  each  end  of 
the  claim  at  or  about  high-water  mark,  also 
one  at  each  end  of  the  claim  at  or  about  the 
edge  of  the  water.  One  of  the  posts  at  high- 
water  mark  shall  be  legibly  marked  with  the 
name  of  the  miner  and  the  date  upon  which 
the  claim  was  staked. 

3.  Dry  diggings  shall  be  100  feet  square  and 
shall  have  placed  at  each  of  its  four  corners  a 
legal  post  upon  one  of  which  shall  be  legibly 
marked  the  name  of  the  miner  and  the  date 
upon  which  the  claim  was  staked. 

4.  Creek  and  river  claim*  shall  be  500  fe«t 


\ 


i.. 


-^a«* 


THH  LATf  OP  MINING. 


13« 


^fthe 
Orally 

I  Gold 
\m  is 


feet 


long,  measured  in  the  direction  of  the  general 
course  of  the  stream,  and  shall  extend  in 
width  from  base  to  base  of  the  hill  or  bench  on 
each  side,  but  when  the  hills  or  benches  are 
less  than  100  feet  apart,  the  claim  may  be  100 
feet  in  depth.  The  sides  of  a  claim  shall  be 
two  parallel  lines  run  as  nearly  as  possible  at 
right  angles  to  the  stream.  The  sides  shall  be 
marked  with  legal  posts  at  or  about  the  edge 
of  the  water  and  at  the  rear  boundaries  of  the 
claim.  One  of  the  legal  posts  at  the  stream 
shall  be  legibly  marked  with  the  name  of  the 
miner  and  the  date  upon  which  the  claim  was 
staked. 

6.  A  Bench  claim  shall  be  100  feet  square, 
and  shall  have  placed  at  each  of  its  four  cor- 
ners a  legal  post,  upon  which  shall  be  legibly 
marked  the  name  of  the  miner,  and  the  date 
upon  which  the  claim  was  staked. 

6.  Entry  shall  only  be  granted  for  alternate 
claims,  the  other  alternate  claims  being  re- 
served for  the  Crown,  to  be  disposed  of  at  public 
auction,  or  in  such  manner  as  may  be  decided 
by  the  Minister  of  the  Interior. 

The  penalty  for  trespassing  upon  a  claim  re- 
served for  the  Crown  shall  be  immediate  can- 
cellation by  the  Gold  Commissioner  of  any 
entry  or  entries  which  the  person  trespassing 
may  have  obtained,  whether  by  original  entry 
or  purchase  for  a  mining  claim,  and  the  refusal 
b^  the  Gold  Commissioner  of  the  acceptance  of 


n 


^-ilf.iSiS^'  h: 


iiudHiaulid&li^^ 


'I 


HI 


140 


THE  LAW   OF   MINING. 


II   ^ 


■|^:-'!i 


m,^^ 


m 


1    '9 


any  application  which  the  person  trespassing 
may  at  any  time  make  for  a  claim.  In  addi- 
tion to  such  penalty,  the  mounted  police,  upon 
a  requisition  from  the  Gold  Commissioner  to 
that  effect,  shall  take  the  necessary  steps  to 
eject  the  trespasser. 

7.  In  defining  the  size  of  claims  they  shall 
be  measured  horizontally,  irrespective  of  in- 
equalities on  the  surface  of  the  ground. 

8.  If  any  person  or  persons  shall  discover  a 
new  mine,  and  such  discovery  shall  be  estab- 
lished to  the  satisfaction  of  the  Gold  Commis- 
sioner, a  creek  and  river  claim  750  feet  in 
length  may  be  granted. 

A  new  stratum  of  auriferous  earth  or  gravel 
situated  in  a  locality  where  the  claims  are 
abandoned  shall  for  this  purpose  be  deemed  a 
new  mine,  although  the  same  locality  shall 
have  been  previously  worked  at  a  different 
level. 

9.  The  forms  of  application  for  a  grant  for 
placer  mining  and  the  grant  of  the  same  shall 
be  those  contained  in  forms  "H"  and  "I,"  in 
the  schedule  hereto. 

10.  A  claim  shall  be  recorded  with  the  Gold 
Commissioner  in  whose  district  it  is  situated 
within  three  days  after  the  location  thereof  if 
it  is  located  within  ten  miles  of  the  Commis- 
sioner's office.  One  extra  day  shall  be  allowed 
for  making  such  record  for  every  additional 
ten  miles  or  fra^^tion  thereof. 


I 


THE   LAW   OF  MINING. 


141 


5ing 
[ddi- 
ipoii 
to 

to 


11.  In  the  event  of  the  absence  of  the  Gold 
Commissioner  from  his  office,  entry  for  a  claim 
may  be  granted  by  any  person  whom  he  may 
appoint  to  perform  his  duties  in  his  absence. 

12.  Entry  shall  not  be  granted  for  a  claim 
which  has  not  been  staked  by  the  applicant  in 
person  in  the  manner  specified  in  these  regula- 
tions. An  affidavit  that  the  claim  was  staked 
out  by  the  applicant  shall  be  embodied  in  form 
"  H  "  of  the  schedule  hereto. 

18.  An  entry  fee  of  |15  shall  be  charged 
the  first  year,  and  an  annual  fee  of  $100  for 
each  of  the  following  years.  This  provision 
shall  apply  to  locations  for  which  entries  have 
already  been  granted. 

14.  A  royalty  of  ten  per  cent,  on  the  gold 
mined  shall  be  levied  and  collected  by  officers 
to  be  appointed  for  the  purpose,  provided  the 
amount  so  mined  and  taken  from  a  single 
claim  does  not  exceed  five  hundred  dollars  per 
week,  in  case  the  amount  mined  and  taken 
from  any  single  claim  exceeds  five  hundred 
dollars  per  week,  there  shall  be  levied  and  col- 
lected a  royalty  of  ten  per  cent,  upon  the 
amount  so  taken  out  up  to  five  hundred  dollars, 
and  upon  the  excess,  or  amount  taken  from 
any  single  claim  over  five  hundred  dollars  per 
week,  there  shall  be  levied  and  collected  a 
royalty  of  twenty  per  cent.,  such  royalty  to 
form  part  of  the  consolidated  Kevenue,  and  to 
be  accounted  for  by  the  officers  who  collect  the 


I 
1 


: 


142 


THE  LAW  OF  MINING. 


n4 


6 


same  in  due  course.  The  time  and  manner  in 
which  such  royalty  shall  be  collected,  and  the 
persons  who  shall  collect  the  same,  shall  be 
provided  for  by  regulations  to  be  made  by  the 
Gold  Commissioner. 

Default  in  payment  of  such  royalty,  if  con- 
tinued for  ten  days,  after  notice  has  been 
posted  upon  the  claim  in  respect  of  which  it  is 
demanded,  or  in  the  \iuiuity  of  such  claim,  by 
the  Gold  Commissioner  or  his  agent,  shall  be 
followed  by  cancellation  of  the  claim.  Any  at- 
tempt to  defraud  the  Crown  by  withholding 
any  part  of  the  revenue  thus  provided  for,  by 
making  false  statements  of  the  amount  taken 
out,  shall  be  punished  by  cancellation  of  the 
claim  in  respect  of  which  fraud  or  false  state- 
ments have  been  committed  or  made.  In  re- 
spect of  the  facts  as  to  such  fraud  or  false 
statements  or  non-payment  of  royalty,  the  de- 
cision of  the  Gold  Commissioner  shall  be  final. 

15.  After  the  recording  of  a  claim  the  re- 
moval of  any  post  by  the  holder  thereof  or  by 
any  person  acting  in  his  behalf  for  the  purpose 
of  changing  the  boundaries  of  his  claim  shall 
act  as  a  forfeiture  of  the  claim. 

16.  The  entry  of  every  holder  of  a  grant  for 
placer  mining  must  be  renewed  and  his  receipt 
relinquished  and  replaced  every  year,  the  entry 
fee  being  paid  each  time. 

17.  No  miner  shall  receive  a  grant  of  more 
than  one  mining  claim  in  the  same  locality, 


THE  LAW  OF   MINING. 


143 


the 
be 
I  the 

Jon- 

?en 

i.s 


but  the  same  miner  may  hold  any  number  of 
claims  by  purchase,  and  any  number  of  niinern 
may  unite  to  work  their  claims  in  common 
upon  such  terms  as  they  may  arrange,  provided 
such  agreement  be  registered  with  the  Gold 
Commissioner  and  a  fee  of  five  dollars  paid  for 
each  registration. 

18.  Any  miner  or  miners  may  sell,  mort- 
gage, or  dispose  of  his  or  their  claims,  provided 
such  disposal  be  registered  witli,  and  a  fee  of 
two  dollars  paid  to  the  Gold  Commissioner, 
who  shall  thereupon  give  the  assignee  a  certif. 
cate  in  form  J  in  the  schedule  hereto. 

19.  Every  miner  shall,  during  the  continu- 
ance of  his  grant  have  the  exclusive  right  of 
entry  upon  his  own  claim,  for  the  miner-like 
working  thereof,  and  the  construction  of  a 
residence  thereon,  and  shall  be  entitled  exclu- 
sively to  all  the  proceeds  realized  therefrom, 
upon  which,  however,  the  royalty  prescribed  by 
clause  14  of  these  Eegulations  shall  be  payable; 
but  he  shall  have  no  surface  rights  therein; 
and  the  Gold  Commissioner  may  grant  to  the 
holders  of  adjacent  claims  such  right  of  entry 
thereon  as  may  be  absolutely  necessary  for  the 
working  of  their  claims,  upon  such  terms  as 
may  to  him  seem  reasonable.  He  may  also 
grant  permits  to  miners  to  cut  timber  thereon 
for  their  own  use,  upon  payment  of  the  dues 
prescribed  by  the  regulations  in  that  behalf. 

20.  Every  miner  shall  be  entitled  to  the  use 


.»*«a5».««*jM,'?lSS§S. 


11 


h^ii'. 


■» 


i'". 


144 


THE  LAW  OF  MINING. 


of  SO  much  of  the  water  naturally  flowing 
through  or  past  his  claim,  and  not  already  law- 
fully appropriated,  as  shall,  in  the  opinion  of 
the  Gold  Commissioner  be  necessary  for  the 
due  working  thereof;  and  shall  be  entitled  to 
drain  his  own  claim  free  of  charge. 

21.  A  claim  shall  oe  deemed  to  be  abandc^ied 
and  open  to  occupation  and  entry  by  any  per- 
son when  the  same  shall  ha\e  remained  un- 
worked  on  working  days  by  tho  grantee  th(?reof 
or  by  some  person  on  his  behalf  foi  the  space  of 
*seventy-tv7o  hours,  unless  sickness  or  <ither 
reasonable  cause  be  shown  to  the  satisfaction 
of  the  Gold  Commissioner  or  unless  the  grantee 
is  absent  on  leave  given  by  the  Commissioner, 
and  the  Gold  Commissioner  upon  obtaining 
evidence  satisfactory  to  himself,  that  this  pro- 
vision is  not  being  complied  with  may  cancel 
the  entry  given  for  a  claim. 

22.  if  the  land  upon  which  a  claim  has  been 
located  is  not  the  property  of  the  Crown  it  will 
be  necessary  for  the  person  who  applied  for 
entry  to  furnish  proof  that  he  has  acquired 
from  the  owner  of  the  land  the  sur^'ace  rights 
before  entij'   an  be  granted. 

23.  If  the  occupier  of  the  lands  has  not  re- 
ceivf:;d  a  patent  tliorefor,  the  purchase  money 
of  the  surface  rights  must  be  paid  to  the  Crown, 
and  a  patent  of  the  surface  rights  will  issue  to 


*72  hours  means  S  consecutive  days  of  24  hours  each. 


t-      !  i 


THE   LAW   OF   MINING. 


145 


law- 

)n  of 

the 

led  to 


\0' 


led 


the  party  who  acquired  the  mining  rights.  The 
money  so  collected  will  either  be  refunded  to  the 
occupier  of  the  land,  when  he  is  entitled  to  a 
patent  therefor,  or  will  be  credited  to  him  on 
account  of  payment  for  land, 

24.  When  the  party  obtaining  the  mining 
rignts  to  lands  cannot  make  an  cirrangement 
with  the  owner  or  his  agent  or  the  occupant 
thereof  for  the  acquisition  of  the  surface  rights, 
it  shall  be  lawful  for  him  to  give  notice  to  the 
owner  or  his  agent  or  the  occupier  to  appoint 
an  arbitrator  to  act  with  another  arbitrator 
named  by  him,  in  order  to  award  the  amount 
of  compensation  to  which  the  owner  or  occu- 
pant shall  be  entitled.  The  notice  mentioned 
in  this  section  shall  be  according  to  a  form  to 
be  obtained  upon  application  fron  the  Gold 
Commissioner  for  the  district  in  which  the 
lands  in  which  the  lands  in  question  lie,  and 
shall,  when  practicable,  be  personally  served 
on  such  owner,  or  his  agent  if  known,  or  occu- 
pant; end  after  reasonable  efforts  have  been 
made  to  effect  personal  service,  without  suc- 
cess, then  such  notice  shall  be  served  by  leaving 
it  at,  or  sending  by  regist^  ed  letter  to,  the 
last  place  of  abode  of  the  owner,  agent  or  occu- 
pant. Such  notice  shall  be  served  upon  the 
owaer,  or  agent  within  a  period  to  be  fixed  by 
the  Gold  Commissioner  before  the  expiration  of 
the  time  limited  in  such  notice.  If  the  pi*o- 
prietor  refuses  or  declines  to  appoint  an  arbi- 


-■i-.-itmm^g^ 


[(i 


ft 


146 


THE  LATf  OF  MHONG. 


I  ,.J  J:' 

■I      *•'■' 


trator,  or  when,  for  any  other  reason,  no  arbi- 
trator is  appointed  by  the  proprietor  in  the 
time  limited  therefor  in  the  notice  provided  for 
by  this  section,  the  Gold  Commissioner  for  the 
district  in  which  the  lands  in  question  lie,  shall, 
on  being  satisfied  by  affidavit  that  such  notice 
has  come  to  the  knowledge  of  such  owner, 
agent  or  occupant,  or  that  such  owner,  agent 
or  occupant  wilfully  evades  the  service  of  such 
notice,  or  cannot  be  found,  and  that  reasonable 
efforts  have  been  made  to  effect  such  service, 
and  that  the  notice  was  left  at  the  last  place  of 
abode  of  such  owner,  agent  or  occupant,  ap- 
point an  arbitrator  on  his  behalf. 

25.  (a.)  All  the  arbitrators  appointed  under 
the  authority  of  these  regulations  shall  be 
sworn  before  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  to  the 
impartial  discharge  of  the  duties  assigned  to 
them,  and  they  shall  forthwith  proceed  to  esti- 
mate the  reasonable  damages  wnich  the  owner 
or  occupants  of  such  lands,  according  to  their 
several  interests  therein,  shall  sustain  by  reason 
of  such  prospecting  and  mining  operations. 

(6.)  In  estimating  such  damages,  the  arbi- 
trators shall  determine  the  value  of  the  land 
irrespectively  of  any  enhancement  thereof  from 
the  existence  of  minerals  therein. 

(c.)  In  case  such  arbitrators  cannot  agree, 
they  may  select  a  third  arbitrator,  and  when 
the  two  arbitrators  cannot  agree  upon  a  third 
arbitrator  the  Gold  Commissioner  for  the  dis- 


V  vL ' 


TUB  LAW  OF  MnaWQ. 


147 


irbi- 
the 
for 
the 
laU, 
)tice 
ner, 
ent 
uch 
able 
vice, 
5eof 
ap- 


trict  in  which  the  lands  in  question  lie  shall 
select  such  third  arbitrator. 

(cf.)  The  award  of  any  two  such  arbitrators 
made  in  writing  shall  be  final,  and  shall  be 
filed  with  the  Gold  Commissioner  for  the  dis- 
trict in  which  the  lands  lie. 

If  any  cases  arise  for  which  no  provision  is 
made  in  these  regulations,  the  provisions  of  the 
regulations  governing  the  disposal  of  mineral 
lands  other  than  coal  lands  approved  by  His 
Excellency  the  Governor  in  Council  on  the  9th 
of  November,  1889,  shall  apply. 

FORM  H. 

APPLICATION   FOR   GRANT   FOR  PLACER  MI2TIIT* 
AND  AFFIDAVIT   OF   APPLICANT, 

I  (or  we)  of 

hereby  apply,  under  the  Dominion  Mining  Regulations,  for 
a  grant  of  a  claim  for  placer  mining  as  deflnea  in  the  said 
regulations,  in  (here  describe  locality)  and  I  (or  we)  solemnly 
swear : 

1.  That  I  (or  we)  have  discovered  therein  a  deposit  of 
(here  name  the  metal  or  mineral). 

2.  That  I  (or  we)  am  (or  are)  to  the  best  of  my  (or  our) 
knowledge  and  belief,  the  first  discoverer  (or  discoverers)  of 
the  said  deposit;  or: 

3.  That  the  said  claim  was  previously  granted  to  (here 
name  the  last  grantee)  but  has  remained  unworked  by  the 
said  grantee  for  not  less  than 

4.  That  I  (or  we)  am  (or  are)  unaware  that  th«  land  is 
other  than  vacant  Dominion  land. 

5.  That  I  (or  we)  did,  on  the  day  of 

mark  out  on  the  ground,  in  accordance  in  every  particular 
with  the  proviBions  of  the  mining  regulations,  for  the  Yukon 
River  and  its  tributaries,  the  claim  for  which  I  (or  we)  make 


I 


'     II 


iiiiiii 


■B^MP 


■W 


i' 


n\hi 


148 


THE  LAW  OF  MINING. 


this  applirntion,  and  that  in  so  doing  I  (or  we)  did  not  en- 
croacli  ou  any  other  claim  or  mining  location  previously  laid 
out  by  any  other  person. 

6.  That  thn  said  claim  contains,  as  nearly  as  I  (or  we) 
rould  measure  or  estimate,  an  area  of 

square  feet,  and  that  the  description  (and  sketch,  if  any)  of 
this  date  hereto  attached,  signed  by  me  (or  us),  sets  (or  set) 
forth  in  detail,  to  the  best  of  my  (or  our)  knowledge  and 
HbiMv'y,  its  position,  form  and  dimensions. 

7.  That  I  (or  we)  make  this  application  in  good  faith,  lo 
acquire  the  claim  for  the  sole  purpose  of  mining,  to  be  prose- 
cuted by  myself  (or  us)  or  by  myself  and  associates,  or  by 
my  (or  our)  assigns. 

Sworn  before  me 


at 

this 

of 


day 
18 


>  (Signature) 


No.,.. 


FORM  I. 
grant  for  placer  mining. 

Department  of  the  Interior, 
Agency, 


18 


In  consideration  of  the  payment  of  the  fee  prescribed  by 
Clause  13  of  the  Mining  Kegulatious  for  the  Yukon  River 
and  its  tributaries,  by  (A.B.)  of  ,  accom- 

panying his  (or  their)  application  No.  ,  dated 

,  18  ,  for  a  mining  claim  in  (here  insert 
description  of  locality). 

The  Minister  of  the  Interior  hereby  grants  to  the  said 

(A.B.)  ,  for  the  term 

of  one  year  from  the  date  hereof,  the  exclusive  right  of  en- 
try upon  the  claim  (here  describe  in  detail  the  claim  granted) 
for  the  miner-like  working  thereof  and  the  construction  of  a 
residence  thereon,  and  the  exclusive  right  to  all  the  pro- 
ceeds realized  therefrom,  upon  which,  however,  the  royalty 
prescribed  by  Clause  14  of  the  Regulations  shall  be  paid. 


Id  not  en- 

[ously  laid 

(or  we) 

lif  any)  of 
Its  (or  set) 
ledge  and 

faith,  to 
be  prose- 
Jtes,  or  by 


THE  LAW  OF  MINING. 


149 


18    . 

cribed  by 

on  River 

,  accom- 

,  dated 

ere  insert 

the  said 
the  term 
It  of  en- 
granted) 
tlon  of  a 
the  pro- 
!  royalty 
[)aid. 


The  said  (A.B.)  shall 

be  entitled  to  the  use  of  so  much  of  the  water  naturally  llowiin^ 
through  or  past  his  (or  their)  claim,  and  not  already  lawfully 
appropriated,  as  sluill  be  necessary  for  the  due  working 
thereof,  and  to  draiu  his  (or  their)  claim  free  of  charge. 

This  grant  does  not  convey  to  the  said 
(A.B.)  any  surface  rights  in  the  said  claim, 

or  any  right  of  ownership  in  the  soil  covered  by  the  sail 
claim  ;  and  the  said  grant  shall  lapse  and  be  forfeited  unless 
the  claim  is  continuously  and  in  good  faith  worked  by  the 
said  (A.B.)  or  his  (or 

their)  associates. 

The  rights  hereby  granted  are  those  laid  dov/u  in  the 
aforesaid  mining  regulations,  and  no  more,  and  are  subject 
to  all  the  provisions  of  the  said  regulations,  whether  the 
same  are  expressed  herein  or  not. 

Oold  Oommisdoner. 


FORM  J. 

CBRTIFICATB    OF    THE    ASSIGNMENT    OF    A    PLACER    MINING 


CLAIM. 


No. 


Department  of  the  Interior, 
Agency, 


18 


This  is  to  certify  that  (B.C.)  of 

has  (or  have)  filed  an  assignment  in  due  form  dated 

18    ,  and  accompanied  by  a  registration  fee  of  two 
dollars,  of  the  grant  to  (A.B.) 

of  of  the  right  to  mine  in  [insert  description 

ofelcUm)  for  one  year  from  the  18    . 

This  certificate  entitles  the  said  (B.C.) 

to  all  the  rights  and  privileges  of  the 
said  (A.B.)  in  respect  of 

the  claim  assigned,  that  is  to  say,  to  the  exclusive  right  of 
entry  upon  the  said  claim  for  the  miner-like  working  thereof 
and  the  construction  of  a  residence  thereon,  and  the  exclu- 
sive right  to  all  the  proceeds  realized  therefrom  (upon  which, 
however,  the  royalty  prescribed  by  Clause  14  of  the  Regula- 
tions shall  bo  paid),  for  the  remaining  portion  of  the  year  for 


\    " 


wm 


!l 


w 


—     ^1 


"■!*SS-— 


160 


THE  LAW  OF  MINING. 


i 


which  the  said  claim  was  granted,  to  the  said 
(A.B.)  ,  that  is  to  say,  until  the 

day  of  ,  18    . 

The  said  (B.C.)  shall 

be  entitled  to  the  use  of  so  much  of  the  water  naturally  tlow- 
inff  through  or  past  his  (or  their)  claim  and  not  already  law- 
fully appropriated,  as  shall  be  necessary  for  the  due  work- 
ing'thereof,  and  to  drain  the  claim  free  of  charge. 

This  grant  does  not  convey  to  the  said 
(B.C.)  any  surface  rights  in  the  said  claim, 

or  any  right  of  ownership  in  the  soil  covered  by  the  said 
claim ;  and  tuc-  said  grant  shall  lapse  and  be  forfeited  unless 
the  claim  is  v'lontinuously,  and  in  good  faith,  worked  by  the 
said  '(B.C.)  or  his  (or 

their)  associates. 

The  rights  hereby  granted  are  those  laid  down  in  the 
Dominion  Mining  Regulations,  and  no  more,  and  are  subject 
to  all  the  provisions  of  the  said  regulations,  whether  the 
same  are  expressed  herein  or  not. 

Oold  Comviissioiier. 

N.B. — The  provisions  of  these  Regulations  are  liable  to  he 
changed  ett  any  time.  Copies  of  the  latest  Regulations  may  be 
obtained  by  applying  to  the  Department  of  tJie  Interior,  Ottawa, 
Ontario  ;  or  to  the  Oold  Commissioner  at  Gudahy,  Yukon  Dis- 
trict, North-  West  Territories. 


Concerning  Corporations^ 

The  following  will  be  of  interest  to  mining 
corporations  desiring  to  operate  in  the  Klondike 
region  in  the  Northwest  Territory,  and  persons 
contemplating  forming  corporation  to  so  operate. 

The  North  we  ^t  Territories  now  virtually  form 
one  of  the  provinces  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada. 
It  has  a  legislative  assembly,  whose  powers  are 


THE   LAW  OF  MINING. 


151 


Ithe 


JuraJJyflo^.. 
liready  Jaw. 
"(iue  Work- 


paid  cJaim, 
\>y  the  said 
fted  unless 
^ed  by  the 
or  liis  (or 

^n  in  the 
ire  subject 
Aether  the 


'«*fe  to  he 

^.  Ottawa, 
^kon  Dia. 


>nclike 
arsons 
erate. 
form 
^ada. 
'8  are 


defined  by  the  Dominion  Act,  R.  S.  C,  Cap.  50 
and  amendments  tliereto. 

By  the  amendments  the  assembly  is  em- 
powered to  incori^orate  companies  with  purely 
territorial  objects,  except  railways,  steamship, 
canal,  transportation,  telegraph,  insurance  and 
irrigation  companies,  but  including  tramway 
and  street  iviilway  companies.  Application  for 
the  incorporal^ion  of  companies  coming  within 
any  of  the  classes  thus  excepted  will  therefore 
require  to  be  made  to  the  Dominion  govern- 
ment. 

The  territorial  government  incorporates  such 
companies  as  are  within  the  powers  of  the  assem- 
bly by  the  issue  of  Letters  Patent  by  the  lieu- 
tenant-governor under  a  general  enactment 
known  as  *'  The  Companies'  Ordinance,"  which 
is  identical  with  "The  Companies'  Act "  of  the 
Canadian  Parliament,  except  in  the  following 
particulars,  viz. : 

1.  The  number  of  applicants  must  be  at  least 
three. 

2.  One  month's  notice  must  be  given  in  the 
''Territorial  Gazette"  and  in  the  local  news- 
papers published  nearest  to  the  chief  place  of 
business  of  the  company  in  the  territories. 

3.  The  petition  may  be  presented  at  any  time 
within  two  months  from  the  last  publication  of 
the  notice. 

4.  The  number  of  directors  shall  not  be  lesa 
than  three  nor  more  than  nine. 


^f\ 


162 


THE   LAW   OF   MINING. 


If, J  .^ 


I 


Vis  i  '  '•'■■'■■ 


Fees. — The  fees  payable  to  the  government 
upon  grant  of  Letters  Patent,  or  upon  the  filing 
of  a  foreign  corporation  of  a  copy  of  its  charter 
as  above  mentioned  are  as  follows: 

When  capital  stock  ^400,000  and  upwards, 
S200;  when  capital  stock  $200,000  and  under 
$400,000,  $150;  when  capital  $100,000  and 
under  $200,000,  $100;  when  capital  stock 
$50,000  and  under  $100,000,  $50;  when  capital 
stock  $40,000  and  under  $50,000,  $40;  when 
capital  stock  $10,000  and  under  $40,000,  $30; 
when  cajntal  stock  under  $10,000,  $20 — in  ad- 
dition to  advertising  charges. 

Foreign  Corporations. — The  ordinance  re- 
ferred to  provides  that  all  joint  stock  companies 
and  corporations  other  than  those  incorporated 
under  it  or  by  the  Parliament  of  Canada,  or 
insurance  companies  licensed  thereby,  shall, 
before  proceeding  to  do  business  in  the  terri- 
tories, file  in  the  office  of  the  lieutenant- 
governor  a  certified  copy  of  its  cliarter  of 
incorporation  authenticated  as  such  by  its 
president  and  secretary.  Failing  in  which  said 
company  shall  incur  a  penalty  of  $500,  to  be 
recovered  at  ohe  suit  of  the  lieutenant-governor 
in  any  civil  court  in  the  territories. 


^^ 


;.'A'aHg!'ii"W!S?g5:- 


lent 
iling 
irter 


it« 


01 

-i 
o 

M 


TW 


v 


„  I, 


A  SHORT  HISTORY  OF  ALASKA. 

"  Crystal  snow  the  landscape  covers,  over  all  the  twilii^iiL 
hovers, 
Like  a  mouruer  o'er  a  bier." 

— Lcuu  Mead. 

Prior  to  the  year  1741  the  peninsula  of 
Alaska — the  name  being  an  English  correction 
of  the  native  Indian  word  Al-ak-shak,  which 
means  a  great  countiy  or  continent-— was  ii 
terra  incognita  to  the  civilized  world.  In  that 
year,  in  the  month  of  July,  it  iir^t  burst  upon 
the  view  of  the  Russian  explorer  and  naviga- 
tor, Chirikof. 

This  pioneer  in  his  somewhat  crude  journal 
describes  the  natives  of  Alaska  as  ' '  well-built 
men  resembling  the  Tartars  in  feature,  not 
coi-pulent,  but  healthy,  with  hardly  any  beard.-' 
Of  the  Chirikof  expedition  a  number  of  sailors 
who  landed  on  Alaskan  territory  disappeared, 
and  their  fate  has  never  definitely  been  deter- 
mined. Chirikof  describes  the  inhabitants  of 
Alaska  as  he  then  found  them  as  exceedingly 
timid,  and  he  could  by  no  means  induce  them 
to  board  the  vessels  of  his  fleet.  On  his  land- 
ing they  deserted  their  settlements  and  fled  on 
the  approach  of  the  Russians.  News  of  the 
Chirikof  discoveries  in  Alaska  having  reached 
the  ears  of  the  Spanish  authorities,  the  govern- 


A  SHORT  HISTORY  OF  AI.ASKA. 


•1  "  *^ 
loo 


had. 
a    of 


ment  of  Spain  took  alarm  at  the  apparrntly 
important  nature  of  the  Russian  explorations. 
In  order  to  neutralize  what  she  evidently  con- 
sidered an  encroaclnnent  on  her  claimed  rights 
to  all  territory  not  charted,  Spain,  through 
h  r  Cabinet,  ordered  an  exploring  expinlition 
to  procccul  along  the  coast  to  the  northward  of 
Calit'oiiiia. 

This  expedition,  which  was  under  Pen^z, 
added  somewhat  to  tlie  tlien  slight  knowledge 
regarding  the  Alaskan  peninsular.  P Tez 
sighted  a,nd  mapped  two  capes,  to  which  he 
gave  the  names  of  Santa  Margarita  and  Santa 
^lagdalena.  The  Perez  expedition  did  not 
land  at  Santa  Margarita,  and  the  observations 
of  the  Alaskan  territory  recorded  by  the  leader 
of  the  exp(Hlition  were  based  upon  his  experi- 
ence at  Santa  Magdalena. 

Unquestionably  tiia  mapping  of  the  coast  by 
Perez  was  crude  and  faulty,  and  it  would 
scarcely  call  forth  comment  but  for  the  fact 
that  some  of  the  members  of  his  expedition 
rescued  from  the  hands  of  the  natives  an  old 
bayonet  and  other  implements  of  a  civilization  of 
which  the  Alaskans  were  not  supposed  to  have 
cognizance.  The  conjecture  of  the  pilot  of  the 
expedition  that  these  relics  were  but  grewsomo 
mementoes  of  the  lost  sailors  of  the  Chirikof 
expedition  was  doubtless  well  founded.  The 
suggestion  of  cannibalism,  which  here  intrudes 
itself,  has  no  other  basis  than  conjecture. 


M 

f  I 


156 


A  SHORT  HISTORY  OF  ALASKA. 


The  Spanish  g^overnment  in  1775  dispatched 
a  second  expedition  for  the  purpose  of  strength- 
ening her  interests  tliere.  This  important  ex- 
pedition wtis  captPiined  by  Bruno  Ilecela.  Perez 
sailed  with  HeceL'i  as  pilot,  and  was  second  in 
command.  The  Spanish  explorers,  on  the  :^4th 
of  August,  1775,  for  the  second  time  landed  on 
Alaskan  territory  and  again  claimed  posse -rsion 
under  the  standard  of  Spain. 

Tliree  years  later  the  ubiquitous  English  ex- 
plorer, who  stands  uni<]ue  among  the  navigat- 
ors of  the  world,  Capt.  Janus  Cook,  passed 
along  the  coast  of  Alaska,  and  sirualized  the 
event  by  changing  the  nomenclature  adopted 
by  the  Spaniards  who  preceded  him.  Cook 
gave  to  Mt.  Edgccumbe  the  name  which  it 
bears. 

In  the  following  year  the  English  expedition 
returned  to  Kamchatka  mider  the  coininaud  of 
Captain  Clarke,  who  had  i^erved  uuchr  Cook's 
command.  Clarke  proceeded  to  explore  Lcring 
Strait  with  a  \'w\y  to  discovering  the  north- 
east passage  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  Tlu^  ex- 
pedition refiched  a  point  at  latitude  70"-'  33' 
when  it  was  obliged  to  turn  back  because  of 
the  ice  encountered. 

In  1783  an  association  of  Siberian  merchants 
founded  in  Alaska  tlie  first  colonies  of  Russians 
on  this  continent.  At  the  head  of  this  associ- 
tion  were  Shellikof  and  Trangolikof,  two  of 
the   principal    shareholders.      It    encountered 


kit .  ^ 


atched 
ength- 
nt  ex- 
Perez 

md  in 
iM  til 
ed  (^11 
'fcsioii 


s 


OQ 


■gg^ 


fli 


■1 


4  t 


%\4  111, '  ti 


f'^ 


158 


A  SHORT  HISTORY"  OF  ALASKA. 


:*;  ' 


i^i'  '■' 


much  hostility  from  tlie  natives  and  introduced 
many  change's  in  the  methods  followed  in  the 
acquisitio!)  of  furs,  then  the  only  industry 
kiiown  to  that  i)ortion  of  America.  The  cus- 
tom of  trading  with  the  natives  for  furs  gave 
way  to  harsher  and  more  eii'ective  methods  on 
the  part  of  tlie  new  colonists.  The  Indians 
Avero  empressed  into  the  service  of  the  Eussiaiis, 
who  furnished  tliem  with  hunting  parnpher- 
nr:iia  and  lived  in  luxurious  idleness  while  the 
suhjected  r;ice  hunted  and  trapped  for  them. 

During  tlie  year  1786  great  progrcps  was 
made  m  the  exploration  of  Alaskan  territory. 
In  this  year  Alaska  was  visited  by  Portlach. 

The  cu])idity  of  Spain  being  again  aroused 
by  reports  of  the  continual  spread  of  Kussian 
settlement  in  the  far  North,  the  Si)anish  gov- 
ermnent,  in  1787,  instructed  the  Viceroy  of  M(:^x- 
ico  u)  dispatch  an  expedition  with  a  view  to  ex- 
ploring the  northwestern  coast  for  the  purpose  of 
iinding  if  i)ossible  desirable  locations  for  settle- 
ment. An  expedition  was  sent  from  Mexico 
and  anchored  at  Pueilo  des  Flores,  v/here  they 
took  possession  and  remained  for  a  time  in 
friendly  intercourse  with  the  natives.  From 
this  point  they  proceeded  to  Kaclich,  where 
the  chief  of  the  colony  impressed  upon  the 
Spanish  commander  the  fact  that  the  Czar  had 
firmly  established  his  title  to  this  domain  as 
far  south  as  62°  of  latitude.  At  this  time  the 
Russians  in  Alaska  were  represented  by  six 


A  SHORT  HISTORY  OF  AI^ASKA. 


169 


Introduced 
fed  in  the 
industry 
The  cus- 
Ifurs  gfive 
lethods  Oil 
lo  Indians 
-tussians, 
l>araplier- 
whilo  the 
r  thera. 
g'r(\'-\s  was 
territory, 
ortlach.  "^ 
1  aroused 
t  Kussian 
iiish  g'ov- 
^yofMex- 
iew  to  ex- 
pui-poseof 
for  settle- 
n  Mexico 
iiere  they 
'  time  in 
3.     From 
h,  where 
upon  the 
Czar  had 
amain  as 
time  the 
i  by  six- 


settlements  colonized  by  about  400  men,  who 
were  in  control  of  six  vessels. 

Shortly  thereafter  the  Russian  impress  or- 
dered Jacobi  to  report  on  the  best  means  of 
firmly  establishing  Russian  dominion  over  the 
islands  of  the  Eastern  ocean  and  the  northwest 
coast  of  America,  and  the  best  system  of  gov- 
ernment for  the  same.  In  an  exhaustive  report 
Jacobi,  among  other  things,  recommended  the 
dispatch  of  a  fleet  from  the  Baltic  to  protect 
navigation  in  the  Pacific. 

Though  constant  quarrels  between  rival 
trading  companies  constituted  a  drawback  to 
the  colonization  of  the  new  region,  it  had  thus 
far  been  attended  by  a  fair  amount  of  success. 

In  the  year  1783  the  Siberian  merchants  in- 
creased their  facilities  for  operating  on  a  larger 
scale  in  the  new  country.  They  sent  to  Alaska 
a  company  of  192  men,  which  was  the  largest 
force  that  had  been  sent  from  the  Siberian  coast 
at  any  one  time.  Another  party  sent  to  the 
new  colony  at  this  time  encountered  forces  of 
hostile  natives,  and  after  severe  fighting  a 
number  of  them  were  killed. 

The  acquisition  of  Alaska  by  the  United 
States  at  the  time  that  it  was  accomplished  was 
not  looked  upon  with  favor  by  the  majority  of 
our  citizens.  $7,000,000  seemed  to  the  prac- 
tical American  mind  a  pretty  steep  sum  to  pay 
for  a  group  of  stationary  icebergs  in  the  Arctic 
circle,  and  Wm.  H.  Seward,  the  Secretary  of 


'i  'i 


160 


A  SHORT  HISTORY  OF  ALASKA. 


Ik 


U'l 


I' 


.4  ^ 


State,  who  was  mainly  resi^onsible  for  the 
purchase,  came  in  for  a  large  share  of  abuse 
and  ridicule.  The  experience  of  after  years 
has  more  than  justified  the  wisdom  and  fore- 
thought of  Seward,  for  in  the  light  of  contem- 
poraneous history,  as  Bancroft  remarks,  *' with 
money  easy  Alaska  was  not  a  bad  bargain  at 
two  cents  an  acre.*' 

Long  prior  to  its  annexation  to  this  country 
Russia  had  evinced  a  Avillingness  to  part  with 
her  possessions  in  Alaska.  Tlie  territory  was 
regarded  as  too  remote,  being  separated  from 
Russia  proper  by  a  tempestuous  ocean  and  the 
vast  area  of  Siberia.  Exactly  when  negotia- 
tions for  its  purcliase  were  first  begun  is  not 
determinable,  but  it  was  regarded  as  a  fore- 
gone conclusion  at  Kadiak  in  1861,  and  the 
question  is  known  to  have  been  mooted  at 
Washington  in  1 8  5  9 .  It  was  during  Buchanan's 
Administration  in  that  year  that  Senator  Gwin 
of  California  intimated  to  the  Russian  Minister 
that  the  United  States  would  be  willing  to 
pay  8.5,000,000  for  the  territory.  This  offer 
was  not  official,  nor  did  the  Russians  consider 
the  sum  sufficient. 

The  Russian  Archduke  Constantine  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1867,  conferred  upon  the  Russian  Min- 
ister at  Washington  power  to  treat  for  the  sale 
of  Alaska,  and  on  March  23  of  that  year  Mr. 
Seward  made  the  offer  of  87,000,000,  subject  to 
the  approval  of  the  President,  with  the  proviso 


for  the 
of  abuse 
ter  years 
and  fore- 
f  contem- 
ns, "with 
argain  at 

s  country 
part  with 
itory  was 
ted  from 
n  and  the 
L  negotia- 
in  is  not 
s  a  fore- 
,  and  the 
looted   at 
ichanan's 
itor  Gwin 
Minister 
illing   to 
'his  offer 
consider 

in  Feb- 
an  Min- 

the  sale 
ear  Mr. 
ibject  to 
)  proviso 


M 


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M 


p; 


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« 


KtMl 


MhyiT'**^^^ 


■"    I 


163 


ii  SHORT  HISTORY  OF  ALASKA. 


fel  4 


t  . «; . 


that  the  cession  of  the  territory  be  *^free  and 
unencninhored  by  any  reservations,  privileges, 
f ranch ih-es,  grants  or  possessions  by  any  asso- 
ciated companies,  whether  corporate  or  incor- 
porate." The  terms  proposed  were  accepted 
by  the  Russian  Minister  and  on  March  29, 
linal  instructions  were  cabled  from  St.  Peters- 
l)urg.  On  Friday,  October  18,  1867,  Captain 
J^estchourof  hauled  down  the  Russia  fiag  in 
^\Jaska  and  briefly  and  simply  transferred  the 
territory  to  the  United  States,  in  compliance 
witli  the  terms  of  the  treaty  made  March  30, 
1867. 

It  is  well  to  state  here  that  as  is  the  case  in 
all  international  negotiations  there  is  a  secret 
history  attached  to  the  purchase  of  Alaska  by 
Seward.  It  is  well  known  tliat  the  presence 
of  the  Russian  fleet  in  American  watei^  at  a 
critical  period  of  our  civil  war  had  a  wholesome 
effect  upon  the  activities  of  England  who  v/as 
at  that  time  not  averse  to  the  oismemberment 
of  the  American  Republic,  and  it  is  assumed 
that  Seward  in  payment  for  the  obligations  con- 
ferred upon  the  United  States  by  Russia  at  a 
time  when  friends  were  scarce,  made  the 
purchase  of  Alaska,  which  Russia  was  anxious 
to  sell,  at  a  price  which  Russia  was  v^illing  to 
take.  Ev^en  if  Seward  did  not  foresee  the 
glorious  possibilities  of  the  newly  acquired  ter- 
ritory— which  Russia  certainly  did  not — the 
negotiations  leading  up  to  and  final  absorption 


. 


A  SHORT  HISTORY  OF  ALASKA. 


les 


•ee  and 
^ileges, 
y  asso- 
incor- 
ceptcd 
ch  29, 
Peters- 
apt  ain 
ag  in 
ed  the 
jliance 
ch  30, 

'ase  in 
secret 
bka  by 
'esence 
s  at  a 
lesome 
10  v/as 
irment 
sumed 
OS  con- 
a  at  a 
le  the 
nxions 
ing  to 
ee  the 
^d  ter- 
t— the 
rption 


of  Alaska  by  the  United  States  will  redound 
to  his  lasting  credit  as  a  statesman  of  the  first 
class. 

During  ten  years  succeeding  the  purchase  of 
Alaska  but  little  was  dune  to  improve  the 
spiritual  welfare  of  the  natives,  but  in  1877  a 
Presbyterian  mission  was  established  at  Sitka 
and  two  years  later  a  mission  under  Catholic 
control  made  Fort  Wrangell  its  place  of  settle- 
ment. These  missions  met  with  little  encour- 
agement or  success  at  first,  but  formed  the 
beginning  of  the  excellent  system  of  educa- 
tion, religious  and  otherwise,  that  now  obtains 
throughout  Alaska.  For  an  exhaustive  de- 
scription of  the  Indians  of  Alaska  the  reader  is 
referred  to  the  report  of  Lieut.  George  F. 
Wilson,  U.  S.  A.,  who  accompanied  Schwatka 
in  his  exploration  in  1883.  In  that  year  Lieut. 
Wilson  give  the  number  and  tribes  of  Alaskan 
Indians  as  follows: 

After  a  careful  arrangement  of  the  data  on  the  topography 
of  the  country  passed  throuuh,  with  sjK'cial  reference  to  the 
boundary  line  between  the  Territory  of  Alaska  and  British 
America,  it  has  been  determined  tha  the  main  village  of  one 
tribe,  Klat-ol-klin,  supposed  to  be  in  xVlaska,  is  situated 
within  the  Enulish  possessions  ;  consequently  tlmt  tribe  will 
not  be  included  in  the  following  summary  o^  the  names  and 
members  of  the  tribes  met  with  in  this  portion  of  the  United 
States : 

Tongas,  about , 600 

Cape  Fox,  about 260 

Stickeens,  about 800 

Sirkas,  about 1,000 

Hootznahoo,  about 700 


) . 


'•i 


164 


A  SHORT  HISTORY  OF  ALASKA. 


"!}'. 


4 


H   ; 


I 


Hoonahs,  about 700 

Auks,  about 700 

Chilkats,  about 980 

Tadoosh,  about 50 

Fort  Yukons,  about 100 

Tananahs,  about 500 

lugalik  tribes,  about 1,350 

lunuit  tribes,  about l,i)00 

Aleuts,  about 1,890 

11,5:20 

Only  thoBO  Innuits  living  along  the  Yukon  River  within 
the  delta  and  northward  along  the  coast  to  near  the  Oonahi- 
kleet  River  are  included  in  this  list,  and  about  400  half 
breeds  (Aleut  and  Russian  living  on  the  Aleutian  group  are 
also  excluded.) 

The  whole  number  of  natives  met  with  is,  therefore,  about 
11,520.  The  tribes  met  with  along  the  river  east  of  the 
boundary  are : 

Tahkeesh 50 

Ayans 200 

Takons 100 

Klatolklins 100 

Concerning  the  last  named  tribe  it  may  be  stated  that  their 
village  is  but  a  short  distance  from  the  boundary  line  as 
determined,  and  that  the  trading  station  about  a  mile  further 
down  the  river,  and  now  abandoned,  is  witliin  the  Territory 
of  Alaska. 

When  Alaska  was  annexed  the  population 
was  stated  by  the  Russian  missionaries  at 
33,426,  of  whom  but  43U  were  whites.  Tlie 
mixed  race— termed  Creoles — counted  1,756 
and  were  tli<*  practical  leaders,  using  the  In- 
dian tribes  for  hunting  and  fishing.  Fur  trade 
and  the  fisheries  were  at  that  time  the  only 
known  resources.  As  early  as  1880,  however, 
the  sea  otters  shipped  represented  a  value  of 


' 


i* 


A  SHOKT  HISTORY  OP  ALASKA. 


105 


700 

700 

980 

50 

100 

GOO 

1,350 

1,!)0U 

1,890 


50 

800 
100 
100 


$600,000,  the  fur  seals  over  $1,000,000,  the 
land  furs  $80,000,  and  the  fisheries  from  $12,- 
000  to  $15,000. 

Mineral  riches  were  hinted  at  by  the  early 
explorers.  In  1885  the  Director  of  the  Mint 
credited  Alaska  with  $300,000  in  gold  and 
$2,000  in  silver,  the  chief  contributor  being 
the  Alaska  mill  at  Douglass  City.  In  189G 
the  gold  product  reached  $1,948,900,  showing 
a  gain  over  1895  equal  to  $386,100.  For  1897 
the  gold  output  is  placed  by  good  judges  at  not 
less  than  $10,000,000. 

Prior  to  the  discovery  of  gold  in  large  quan- 
tities, Alaska  was  important  princixmlly  on  ac- 
count of  the  seal  fisheries,  concerning  which  im- 
portant and  interesting  industry  hundreds  of 
volumes  have  been  written  both  in  the  way  or 
diplomatic  correspondence  and  otherwise. 

The  Alaskan  fur  seal  fishing  is  the  most  ex- 
tensive in  the  world.  Since  Alaska  became 
the  property  of  the  United  States  this  fishery 
has  afforded  a  very  considerable  revenue  to  the 
Government  by  the  lease  of  its  privileges  and 
engaged  a  large  amount  of  American  capital 
and  the  industry  of  many  American  people. 
For  sixty  years  prior  to  1862  these  fisheries 
had  been  leased  by  the  Russian  Government  to 
the  Eussian  American  Company,  a  corporation 
composed  mainly  of  Siberian  merchants.  In 
1870  the  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company  ob- 
tained its  lease,  expiring  May  1,  1890.     At  the 


in 


m^gmmmmmm 


I 


::i 


!  .^ 


■''i 


> 


OD 

o 

► 

o, 

OB 

>• 
IT" 

K 
C 

-    -* 

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o 

V 

H 


is 


A  SHORT  HISTORY  OF  ALASKA. 


167 


m. 


m 


expiration  of  its  term,  the  North  American 
Commercial  Company  succeeded  in  obtaining 
the  lease  from  the  government  for  the  ensuing 
twenty  years. 

Next  in  importance  to  the  fur  industry  of 
Alaska  comes  that  of  the  hsheries.  The  In- 
dians of  that  country  subsist  principally  upon 
seal  meat  and  fish.  The  Alaskan  rivers  and 
streams  produce  a  variety  of  edible  fish  of 
which  the  salmon  is  king,  and  after  the  exhaus- 
tion of  the  Columbia  Eiver  the  canning  of  this 
noble  fish  in  Alaska  received  a  great  impetus. 

In  18S3  the  salmon  of  Alaska  were  first 
canned  and  in  that  year  6,000  cases  were 
marketed.  In  1800  the  enormous  total  was 
610,717  cases.  In  the  seven  years  from  1883 
to  1890  this  would  have  meant  a  consumption 
of  27,706,058  salmon. 

Regarding  tlie  l^oundary  line  between  Alaska 
and  the  North-west  Territory  the  New  York 
Stin  holds  that  any  statement  that  there  are 
grounds  for  a  dispute  is  untenable.  In  an  able 
editorial  on  the  subject  it  says  in  part: 

"The  treaty  of  February  28,  183',  belweon  Russia  and  Great 
Britain,  uiuier  wliicli  our  rights  to  Alaska  are  derived  by 
purchase  from  the  lormcr,  says  tliat  tlie  boundary  line,  be- 
ginuiug  ill  ihp  soulhernjuost  point  of  Prince  of  Wales  Island, 
Hsoends  to  tlic  norih  alonir  Portland  Channel  as  far  as  the 
iifjlllf.  (»f  the  etuitineiit  wliere  it  slrilces  the  tifty-sixth  degree 
hf  llOllli  liilllmle.  Thenee  jt  is  to  "follow  the  summit  of 
Mm  iiioii/ilnliiH  hlluatcil  pjiniljel  to  the  coast  as  far  as  thepoAit 
of  inteiseclion  of  il)e  141st  ([e!2;ree  of  west  longitude,"  thence 
proceeding  aloui;  thut  meridian  to  the  Frozen  Ocean.     It  it 


Iff 


■  — >«d.,.t»i.-,»'-^.i.  -...^  — 


r 


"ii 


II 


168 


A  SHORT  HISTORY  OF  ALASKA. 


If' 


1 


r 


further  provided  that  whenever  the  summit  of  these  moun- 
taiua  proves  to  be  more  than  ten  murine  leagues  from  the 
ocean,  the  line  "sliall  be  formed  by  a  line  parallel  to  the 
winding  of  the  coast,  which  shall  never  exceed  the  distance 
of  ten  marine  leagues  tliorefrom." 

It  turned  out  that  the  continuous  range  of  mountains 
parallel  to  the  coast,  depicted  on  Vancouver's  map,  which 
was  used  by  the  framers  of  the  treaty,  wiis  imaginary. 
Hence  the  alternative  provision  of  a  distance  of  thirty 
marine  miles  from  the  coast  necessarily  was  adopted  for 
determining  the  boundary;  and  the  line  thus  drawn,  the  line 
we  still  have  for  Alaska,  is  found  on  British  nuips  as  well  as 
ours  for  a  period  of  nearly  or  ciuite  sixty  years  after  the 
signing  of  the  treaty." 

The  introduction  of  reindeer  into  Alaska, 
for  which  credit  is  due  to  Dr.  Sheldon  Jackson, 
bids  fair  to  prove  invaluable  in  view  of  the 
enormous  influx  of  miners  to  the  Yukon  region. 
In  1893  Congress  made  an  appropriation  for 
the  purpose  and  a  small  herd  was  introd^iced 
into  the  territory  from  Siberia.  In  1894  the 
herd  was  increased  by  new  importations,  since 
which  time  the  natural  increase  has  been  satis- 
factory. The  herd  now  numbers  1000  and  the 
future  of  this  useful  animal  is  assured.  The 
value  of  the  reindeer  to  the  Alaskan  miner  is 
sure  to  prove  as  great  as  it  is  to  the  Laplander, 
to  whom  it  is  invaluable,  being,  in  fact,  his 
horse,  his  ox,  and  his  sheep  in  one  animal.  As 
a  draught  animal  its  speed,  endurance,  and  par- 
ticular adaptation  to  travelling  on  snow  render 
it  most  valuable  to  people  dwelling  in  the  frozen 
latitudes.  It  has  been  known  to  run  at  the  rate 
of  nearly  nineteen  miles  an  hour,  and  it  is  not 


A  SHORT  HISTORY  OF  ALASKA. 


160 


loun- 
ni  the 
o  the 
tance 

Qtains 

which 

nary. 

thirty 

:  for 

line 

11ns 

r  the 


unusual  for  it  to  travel  150  miles  in  nineteen 
hours.  The  weight  ordinarily  drawn  by  it  in 
Lapland  is  240  pounds,  but  it  can  draw  300. 
Its  meat  foniis  delicious  food  for  man;  its  skin 
is  valuable,  and  the  milk  of  the  herds  is  often 
the  principal  support  of  the  owner  and  his 
family.  Milhons  of  them  could  exist  in  Alaska 
upon  the  reindeer  moss  which  exists  there  in 
the  greatest  abundance. 

Alaska  is  a  country  which  embraces  a  vast 
territory.  The  main  land  is  estimated  to  con- 
tain an  area  of  580,000  square  miles,  while  the 
island  of  the  Alexandrian  archipelago  contain 
31,200  square  miles  and  the  Aleutian  island 
6,400  square  miles,  a  grand  total  of  617,600 
square  miles.  The  main  land  has  an  extent, 
north  and  south,  of  over  1,000  miles,  while 
Altu^  the  last  island  of  the  Aleutian  group,  is 
2,000  miles  west  of  Sitka. 

A  range  of  high  mountains  covered  with 
snow  and  seamed  with  glaciers  which  push 
their  feet  into  salt  water,  runs  parallel  with 
the  coast,  rmd  divides  the  country  into  two 
unequal  parit — the  narrow  coast  strip,  with 
islands  a:^d  a  moist  climate,  where  zero 
weather  is  rare,  and  the  vast  interior,  where 
the  thermometer  has  a  range  of  180  degrees. 

The  coast  region  is  accessible  at  all  seasons 
by  ocean  vessels. 

Alaska  has  already  paid  for  itself  by  royalities 
from  the  fur  sealing  company,  not  to  speak  of 


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23  WEST  MAIN  STR!ET 

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(716)872-4503 


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A  SHORT  HISTORY  OF  ALASKA. 


in 


the  salmon  industry  which  has  yielded  more 
than  the  purchase  price,  while  the  Treadwell 
gold  mill  on  Douglass  island  has  given  to  the 
world  in  gold  more  than  the  original  cost  of 
the  country. 

Juneau,  the  metropolis  of  Alaska,  was 
founded  in  1880,  and  named  in  honor  of 
Joseph  Juneau,  who  first  found  gold  on 
Douglass  Island,  two  miles  away,  where  the 
famous  Treadwell  quartz  mill,  the  largest  in 
the  world,  is  located.     Sitka  is  the  capital. 


The  great  interior  of  Alaska  is  accessible  less 
than  half  of  the  year,  and  then  with  much 
difficulty  and  hardship.  The  mighty  basin  of 
the  Yukon,  which  comprises  two-thirds  of  the 
entire  territory,  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
regions  in  the  world.  Were  it  not  for  this 
great  artery  the  world  would  know  nothing  of 
the  wealth  of  the  interior.  Tlie  Yukon  is 
formed  by  the  junction  of  the  Pelly  and  Lewis 
rivers,  the  former  600  miles  long  and  the  latter 
360.  From  Fort  Selkirk,  at  the  confluence  of 
the  rivers,  to  the  mouth  of  the  Yukon,  the 
distance  is  2, 044  miles,  and  the  way  is  navigable 
for  flat-bottom  steamers  of  4.00  or  500  tons. 

From  Fort  Selkirk  the  Yukon  flows  400 
miles  northwest,  touching  the  Arctic  circle, 
and  then  southwest  for  1,600  miles,  toBehring 
sea.     It  is  sixty  miles  wide  at  its  mouth,  and 


L     >&■■      IB 


:JL^.^t''^(.. 


■is  "|.  ■,  .'  ^'■ 


iiH1-l 


I,.- 


\&' 


i! 


172 


A  SHORT  HISTORY  OF  ALASKA. 


SO  shallow  that  ocean  vessels  cannot  enter. 
Along  its  banks  iiowers  bloom  in  the  summer 
and  birds  slug  in  the  trees,  but  in  September 
the  frost  comes,  and  soon  the  whole  country 
is  covered  with  snow,  tlie  rivers  become  ic(% 
and  the  tliermometer  drops  to  sixty  and  eighty 
below  zero.  Fossils  of  the  mammoth  and  other 
gigantic  animals  are  found  along  the  Yukon. 
The  navigatL)le  tributaries  of  the  Yukon  are 
the  Lewis,  Pelly,  Stewart,  Tahkenna,  Hoota- 
linqua,  Porcupine,  Tannana,  Anvik,  White, 
Birch,  Salmon  and  otliers,  to  the  extent  of 
several  thousand  miles. 


-    I  I  mi  " 


enter, 
mmer 
ember 
untrj' 
e  ice, 
^ghty 
other 
ukoii. 
n  are 
foota- 
t^hite, 
)nt  of 


FAMOUS  GOLD  RUSHES. 

"They  told  us  of  Ibe  heaps  of  dust, 

And  the  lumps  so  mighty  big ; 
But  they  never  said  a  single  word 

How  hard  it  was  to  dig." 

-Ballads  of  California. 

The  finding  of  gold  dust  or  nuggets,  or 
quartz  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth  or  in  the  beds 
of  streams  is  of  little  direct  benefit  to  the  world 
at  large.  Iron  or  copper  or  tin  are  metals 
more  useful  and  add  a  great  deal  more  to  the 
comfort  of  man.  The  possession  of  gold  is 
valuable  in  that  it  gives  to  individuals  the 
power  to  command  a  larger  share  of  the  world's 
goods,  and  the  finding  of  gold  in  the  earth  has 
a  tendency  to  equalize  the  conditions  of  rich 
and  poor.  The  benefits  conferred  upon  a  com- 
munity by  a  gold  rush  are  purely  local.  It 
tends  to  produce  a  demand  for  those  things  that 
a  community  produces  and  hence  creates  local 
prosperity.  The  real  addition  to  the  wealth  of 
the  world  comes  later  when  in  the  wake  of  a 
gold  rush  the  natural  industries  of  a  country 
are  developed,  such  as  its  agriculture  and  hor- 
ticulture, which  add  materially  to  the  real 
comfort  of  mankind.  The  development  of  coal 
seams  and  of  copper  mines  and  those  of  other 
useful  metals  is  also  a  useful  outcome,  gener- 


^,r:j 


'^*--*!<^K'mmim^y^M, 


;-   I  ■}    ' 


■  m 


174 


FAMOUS  GOLD  RUSHES. 


ally,  of  a  gold  rush.  Perhaps  the  most  re- 
markable ontgro^vtli  of  such  a  rush  is  its  in- 
fiueiico  on  inuriaii  character.  Men  who  are 
tried    in   the   crucible   of    hardship   generally 


make  good  citizens  and  form  excellent  material 
for  the  building  up  of  new  communities.  Alaska 
and  the  great  basin  of  the  Yukon  cannot  fail 
to  be  benefited  by  the  influx  of  good  men  of 
brawn  and  brain  who,  as  has  always  been  the 
case,  will  far  outnumber  the  vicious  and  worth- 
less. 

The  Argonauts  of  '49. 

Nearly  half  a  century  has  elapsed  since  the 
world  was  startled  by  the  report  of  the  discov- 
eries of  fabulous  wealth  in  the  then  remote 
land  of  California.  The  existence  of  gold  in 
Lower  California  had,  three  hundred  years  be- 
fore, been  known  to  Cortez  in  Mexico,  who,  in 
1537,  fitted  out  an  expedition  which  returned 
from  the  peninsula  with  a  small  quantity  of 
the  precious  metal.  The  experience  of  Cortez, 
however,  had  no  effect  upon  the  eager  "4:9er," 
as  historical  research  is  rarely  a  concomitant 
of  gold  rushes.  Many  California  pioneers  are 
still  alive  and  every  one  of  them  will  maintain 
that  with  energy  the  difficulties  confront- 
ing the  miner  on  the  Yukon  are  mere  child's 
play  compared  to  what  they  had  to  undergo  in 
wresting  fortune  from  the  El  Dorado  of  fifty 
years  ago.     The  argonauts  of  '49  had  to  cross 


I 


\ 


\ 


h! 


f\ 


t  re- 

s  in- 
0  are 
rally 
erial 
aska 


ant 


FAMOUS  GOLD  RtTSHES. 


116 


severe  ranges  of  mountains  covered  with  snow 
and  ice;  they  had  to  endure  the  blazing  heat 
of  the  tropics  and  the  horrors  of  chagrcs 
fever;  they  had  to  confront  deserts  and  alkali 
plains.  Savage  beasts  and  more  savage  men 
beset  their  steps  as  they  wended  their  way 
across  a  trackless  country  or  the  then  deadly 
isthmus  of  Panama.  Mule  trains  or  prairie 
schooners  were  the  means  of  locomotion  for 
their  necessaries,  while  they  trudged  wearily 
on  foot.  They  had  in  those  days  no  tinned 
meats,  condensed  milks  or  preserved  fruits,  no 
neatly  compounded  medicines  in  portable  form. 
In  order  to  have  a  letter  delivered  to  their  dear 
ones  at  home  it  was  necessary  to  pay  in  some 
cases  as  high  as  $5,  with  the  certainty  that  it 
would  be  many  months  before  a  reply  was  pos- 
sible. An  old  miner  thus  describes  a  part  of 
the  journey  to  California: 

"  Our  trail  was  Uttered  with  the  remains  of  other  cara- 
vans of  pioneers  who  had  proceded  us  across  the  deadly 
waste.  The  skeletons  of  men  and  animals  dotted  both  sides 
of  the  trail,  and  wagon  wheels,  old  arms,  rusty  swords, 
broken  rifles  and  other  relics  of  the  victims  of  that  terrible 
summer  were  lying  around  in  profusion.  The  value  of  the 
material  that  lay  there  decaying  on  the  desert  would,  I  be- 
lieve, if  fairly  computed,  run  up  into  the  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  dollars." 

The  gold  rush  to  California  has  often  been 
told  in  song  and  story,  but  the  proposition  that 
the  State  shall  celebrate  in  January,  1898,  the 
fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  finding  of  gold  in 
the  flume  of  General  Sutter's  saw  mill  at  Co- 


;j        4 


B 


-  '^■'  —*'■''- 


f 


176 


FAMOUS   GOLD   RUSHES. 


ri 


kW'i^ll: 


fn'^' 


\ 


.     at 

1  •  ■  :  ■ 


loma,  in  El  Dorado  County,  has  brought  to 
light  a  mass  of  material  concerning  the  days 
of  forty-nine,  among  which  is  the  true  story 
of  the  great  discover3\ 

James  W.  Marshall,  the  discoverer  of  gold  in 
California,  died  at  Coloma  in  1885.  These 
who  were  associated  with  him  in  the  great  find, 
including  General  Sutter,  are  nearly  all  dead. 
There  is  one  survivor,  however,  of  those  who 
were  on  the  ground — Adam  Wicks,  of  Santa 
Barbara.  Wick's  story,  much  condensed,  is 
herewith  given: 

"I  reached  the  Sutter's  Fort  or  stockade  in  the  fall  of  1847. 
There  were  about  forty  white  men  in  Sacramento  at  that 
time,  most  of  whom  were  employed  by  Butter,  then  a  man 
of  forty-tive  years,  with  a  wonderful  belief  in  the  possibili- 
ties of  California  soil  for  raising  fruits  and  grains.  Sutter 
employed  me  to  oversee  a  squad  of  half-breed  Indians  who 
were  employed  in  rounding  up  cattle.  At  that  time  Sutter 
was  improvmg  his  saw  mill,  believing  that  the  government 
would  need  a  large  supply  of  lumber.  At  meal  times  at  the 
camp  cook  house  I  often  met  and  became  friendly  with  Mar- 
shall. He  was  a  carpenter  from  New  Jersey  and  had  been  a 
rover  for  many  years.  At  the  time  that  I  knew  him  he  had 
been  with  Sutter  four  years,  and  wasanxious  to  again  wander 
forth  and  try  his  fortunes  elsewhere.  Three  weeks  later  he 
picked  up  the  first  golden  nugget,  and  the  future  of  California 
was  assured.  I  was  away  oil  the  day  that  the  find  was  made 
and  on  returning  to  the  ranch  asked  Marshall  about  it.  Mar- 
shall went  into  the  kitchen  of  the  building  and  came 
back  with  a  tin  matchbox.  He  lit  the  candle  and  slowly 
and  silently  opened  the  box.  I  watched  him  intently.  He 
produced  from  the  box  four  bits  of  gold. 

"'Now,  by ,  what  do  you  call  that?'  said  he,  as  he 

laid  them  on  the  redwood  table  before  me.  The  largest 
nugget  was  the  size  of  a  hickory  nut ;  the  others  were  the 
size  of  black  beans.    All  had  been  hammered  and  were  very 


\ 


\ 


to 

lys 
>ry 

in 

»se 

Id, 

id. 

Iho 


FAMOUS  GOLD  RUSHES. 


177 


bright  from  boiling  and  acid  tests.    Those  were  the  first  evi- 
dences of  the  gold. 

"Two  weeks  later  Mrs.  Wimmer,  the  cook,  went  to  Sacra- 
mento, where  she  showed  some  nuggets  found  along  the 
American  River,  and  thus  the  news  was  spread.  Marshall  aud 
the  rest  of  us  were  extremely  mad  at  the  time  with  the  cook, 
aud  I  have  heard  that  Marshall  never  forgave  her.  Then  the 
rush  began.  Sutter  lost  a  magnificent  estate  by  the  finding  of 
gold  on  his  property  and  lived  for  years  on  a  pension  allowed 
h'm  by  the  State. 

'By  July,  1848,  the  excitement  over  Marshall's  discovery 
became  widespread.  Every  vessel  that  toucned  at  San  Fran- 
cisco was  deserted  almost  to  a  man  by  the  crew,  who  went 
up  the  river  to  Sacramento,  and  then  came  pell  mell  seventy 
miles  across  the  country  to  the  American  River.  Clergy- 
men, merchants,  lawyers  and  laborers  started  for  the  dig- 
gings. Prices  of  everthing  had  gone  up  fabulously.  Cattle 
were  worth  $1(13  a  head  in  1847,  $150  in  the  summer  of  1848, 
and  over  $400  in  1849  and  18'j0.  Shovels,  hoes,  dishpans 
(used  for  washing  the  gold)  were  sold  for  almost  their  weight 
ia  gold  at  times  between  the  arrival  of  steamers  bringing  a 
fresh  supply  of  these  things.  I  bought  a  pair  of  boots  in 
1847  for  $13,  and,  after  I  had  worn  them  well,  I  sold  them 
iii  July,  1848,  at  the  diggings  for  four  ounces  of  gold,  worth 
then  $14  an  ounce.  Why,  there  were  no  men  left  to  keep 
stores.    Every  one  went  to  mining. 

"  Along  in  March  and  April,  1849,  the  stampede  of  gold- 
hungry  men  began  from  the  East.  You  see  it  had  taken  two 
months  for  the  news  to  get  down  to  San  Francisco  ;  then  two 
months  more  for  it  to  get  to  New  York,  and  six  months  for 
the  Easterners  to  put  much  faith  in  the  rosy  stories  of  how 
easy  one  could  dig  and  hoe  up  gold  in  California.  The  stor- 
ies never  lost  anything  in  traveling  to  the  Eistern  States,  and 
when  they  continued  to  come  from  the  coast  by  every  mail 
across  the  Isthmus,  the  whole  East  became  excited.  One  of 
the  conservative  newspapers  in  New  York  estimated  the 
earnings  of  a  miner  who  employed  Indians  to  shake  the  pan 
or  handle  the  rocker  for  him  at  a  dollar  a  minute.  These 
stories  were  half  confirmed  by  the  numerous  army  officers 
stationed  in  California.  Horace  Greeley  indorsed  them  in 
the  Tribune,  predicting  an  addition  of  a  thousand  millions  of 
gold  to  the  world's  stock  in  four  years,  and  adding  tliat  in 


rA 


A,.-,...»L^'.'>  ig.. .  t'.-^  -X  ^.  HI  I  iirtnut  itifai^f 


};•' 

i 


178 


FAMOUS   OOLD  RUSHES. 


r-i 


;   1' 


^\mi 


1 


New  York  'bakers  cannot  supply  the  demand  for  ship  bread 
nor  hardware  men  the  demand  for  rifles,  pistols,  bowie 
knives  and  shovels.'  During  that  winter  of  1848-49  whole 
fleets  of  sailing  ships  set  out  from  New  York,  Boston,  Pliil- 
adelphia,  Noriollc,  Baltimore,  New  Orleans  and  Charleston 
for  the  land  of  gold.  The  Paciflc  Mail  Steamship  Company 
was  established  in  November,  1848,  and  three  st^^amere 
were  built  forthwith.  In  the  spring  of  1849  20,000  persons  — 
men,  women  and  children— were  preparing  at  Independence, 
Mo.,  for  the  overland  journey  of  3,000  miles  across  the 
plains,  and  10,000  people  were  waiting  at  San  Francisco  for 
transportation  to  the  mines. 

•'All  that  you  have  ever  read  about  the  excitement  that 
attended  the  influx  of  tens  of  thousands  of  Americans  into 
California  in  1845  and  1850  was  not  exaggerated.  No  one 
has  any  idea,  until  he  has  seen  it,  what  privations  and  suffer- 
ing mt  n  will  endure  where  they  are  wild  to  get  earliest  in  a 
§old  field.  I  often  wonder  now  if  my  recollections  of  those 
ays  are  real  or  merely  dreams.  It  all  seems  so  unreal  now. 
"Marshall's  troubles  betcan  with  the  very  first  stampede  of 
gold  seekers.  He  cursed  Mrs.  Wimmer  and  he  declared  he 
would  have  the  law  protect  Ids  rights.  While  the  rest  of  us 
joined  in  digging  and  washing  gold,  Marshall  swore  and 
growled.  For  a  few  months  ne  made  every  man  on  the 
scene  paj^  him  a  dollar  for  his  discovery.  But  when  the 
throngs  increased  he  seldom  got  a  dollar,  and  then  only  from 
a  good-natured  man.  He  claimed  that  he  and  Sutter  owned 
the  land  on  which  the  miners  came  and  got  their  gold.  Of 
course  there  was  justice  in  the  assertion  that  the  miners  had 
trespassed  upon  Sutter's  and  Marshall's  acres,  but  the  law- 
less, wild  gold  seekers  cared  precious  little  for  legal  rights  in 
those  days,  and  there  was  neither  United  States  nor  Mexican 
law  in  California  from  some  time  in  1847  until  the  summer 
of  1850,  when  the  Territory  began  to  get  ready  for  admission 
as  a  State.  Marshall  became  disliked  for  his  belligerency, 
and  he  was  in  continual  disputes  and  quarrelling,  Several 
times  he  barely  escaped  serious  physical  punishment  from  a 
camp  of  reckless,  intoxicated  miners  whom  he  had  threat- 
ened with  legal  processes  because  of  their  encroachments  on 
his  land.  He  never  did  any  mining  himself,  for  he  claimed 
be  owned  all  the  gold  (bat  had  been  taken  out  at  Coloma, 


\ 


m  \f 


i 


\ 


■  \.^ 


FAMOUS  GOLD  RUSHES. 


179 


)read 

^hole 
iPhil- 

^stou 
ipany 
Imere 

3nce, 
the 
for 


and  he  would  some  day  have  the  courts  give  him  back  all 
the  riches  that  had  been  stolen  from  him. 

"He  was  a  spiritualist,  and  had  visions  and  messacjes 
from  the  spirit  land  that  told  him  what  to  do.  Hr  went 
often  to  'Frisco  and  Sacramento.  By  1851  he  became  rccori- 
ciled  to  his  fate,  and  abandoned  all  claims  to  the  minini; 
property  on  his  lands.  In  1857,  he  bought  a  plot  of  land  at 
Coloma,  near  the  site  of  his  saw  mill.  There  he  planted  a 
vineyard.  He  did  odd  jobs  about  the  town  and  made  wine. 
He  became  a  hard  drinker  and  everyone  knew  him  as  a 
chronic  growler.  In  1869  he  started  out  to  lecture  on  '  How 
I  Pound  Gold  in  California.'  He  was  very  poor,  and  for  a 
few  nights  he  did  a  good  business.  Then  he  went  to  Stock- 
ton, and  there  his  love  for  whiskey  overcame  him,  and  he 
fell  by  the  way.  In  1873  the  Legislature  of  California 
granted  him  a  pension  of  !Ss200  a  month  for  two  years.  It 
was  subsequently  renewed  for  seven  years  at  $100  a  month. 
He  spent  almost  every  dollar  of  it  all  in  saloons,  and  on  a  lot 
of  parasites.  That  was  why  the  first  pension  was  cut  down 
one-half.  He  died  alone  in  a  ramshackle,  desolate  cabin  in 
the  little  hamlet  of  Kelsey,  in  El  Dorado  county,  on  August 
9,  1885.  He  had  been  dead  a  day  before  his  remains  were 
found." 

The  Rush  to  Australia, 

The  frantic  pilgrimage  of  gold  seekers 
to  Australia  in  1851  constituted  a  "rush" 
second  in  importance  in  the  history  of  such 
events.  The  remarkable  scenes  and  incidents 
of  the  days  of  '49  in  California  were  repeated, 
and  thousands  of  eager  adventurers  fell  by  the 
wayside,  leaving  their  bones  to  whiten,  mingled 
with  those  of  the  Dingo  and  kangaroo,  upon 
the  forbidding  des3rts  of  inland  Australia. 

The  first  discovery  of  the  precious  metal  is 
attributed  to  a  Mr.  Hargraves,  at  Bathurst, 
in  April,  X851,    In  August  of  the  same  year 


mk 


-jt.^.^L...'.ii^'--^^.. .>.»..     ■   ..  — iiniiiiii  I  ii  mrfi-     i' 


180 


FAMOUS  GOLD  RUSHES. 


\ 


i 
I 

.    1 

1 

I 
1 

1 

tt;: 

the  rich  finds  at  Balarat  were  unearthed  and 
before  the  year  was  out  the  phenomenal  treas- 
ure bed  concealed  in  Mount  Alexander  revealed 
its  wonders  to  the  world. 

As  was  the  case  in  California  all  other  indus- 
tries were  neglected.  Stockwhips  and  shep- 
ards  crooks  were  thrown  aside  for  the  pickaxe 
and  the  shovel.  Ranches  were  neglected  and 
'ell  to  ruin.  During  the  excitment  in  Victoria 
the  rush  to  the  diggings  became  a  stampede 
and  the  young  and  handsome  cities  of  Mel- 
bourne and  Geelong  were  practically  deserted. 

From  that  time  to  the  present  new  and  phe- 
nomenal finds  of  gold  have  been  unearthed  in 
the  various  colonies  of  Australia,  New  Zealand 
and  Tasmania,  and  "rushes"  similar  in  char- 
acter, though  smaller  in  degree,  have  been  again 
and  again  repeated. 

The  rush  to  the  Coolgardie  district  in  West 
Australia,  with  its  terrible  record  of  hardship 
and  death,  is  fresh  in  the  public  mind. 

Notwithstanding  the  enormous  amoimt  of 
gold  yielded  by  Australia  since  its  discovery  in 
1851,  an  enormous  area  of  mineral  country  is 
still  unprospected  and  new  discoveries  in  the 
near  future  are  not  improbable. 

Other  Rushes* 

In  the  history  of  gold  production,  California 
and  Australia  stand  preeminent,  but  man  hap 
scoured  the  earth  to  quench  his  lust  for  gold, 


Fi^MOUS  GOLD   RUSHES. 


181 


and 
|reas- 
Jaled 

idus- 


and  history  is  rich  with  the  record  of  his 
efforts. 

The  gold  fields  of  Africa  have  at  various 
times  created  a  furore  of  excitement  which 
has  spread  itself  over  the  '^  tM.  From  the 
rush  to  Leydenberg  in  1872,  the  great  discov- 
eries in  the  Transvaal  in  188 B,  and  those  of 
Witwaterand  in  the  same  year  down  to  the 
famous  "Kaffirs"  of  Barney  Biirnato,  which  set 
Europe  on  fire,  there  is  seen  the  great  impor- 
tance of  the  gold  fields  of  Africa.  Through 
them  the  Transvaal  has  been  transformed  and 
the  prosperous  Lown  of  Johannesburg,  started 
in  1887,  has  become  a  thriving  and  important 
city. 

The  rush  to  Caribou  and  the  Frazer  river,  of 
British  Columbia,  where  gold  was  discovered 
in  1858,  was  characterized  by  the  same  feat- 
ures as  those  of  its  predecessors. 

In  the  United  States  the  stampede  of  gold 
seekers  to  Nevada,  to  Leadville,  Cripple  Creek 
and  Crede  in  Colorado;  to  Deadwood  and  the 
mines  of  Idaho  with  all  its  picturesque  and  re- 
markable features,  is  fresh  in  the  public  mind. 
There  are  but  few  states  in  the  Union  where 
gold  does  not  exist  in  some  degree,  and  each 
one  of  them  has  experienced  its  miniature 
rush. 

In  addition  to  the  gold  fields  enumerated  im- 
portant discoveries  of  gold  accompanied  by  the 
usual  stampede  have  occurred  in  Brazil,  Mex- 


m 


I" 


182 


FAMOUS  GOLD  RUSHfiS. 


ico,  Peru,  Russia,  Austria-Hungary,  Germany, 
Chili  and  even  in  England,  where  the  recent 
discovery  of  gold  on  Mr.  Morgan's  estate  in 
Wales  has  given  use  to  parlimentary  en- 
quiry and  the  establishment  of  new  laws. 

Of  all  the  gold  discoveries  that  have  occurred 
in  recent  years,  that  in  the  basin  of  the  Yukon 
river,  within  the  fastnesses  of  Alaskla.  and  the 
North-West  Territory  has  apparently  taken 
the  strongest  hold  upon  the  public  mind  and 
at  the  present  writing  there  seems  to  be  little 
probability  of  any  abatement  of  the  feverish 
excitement  attending  it. 


lent 

in 

len- 


KLONDIKE,  "BRIDE  OF  THE  "BOLD, 

Steep  mountain,  deep  ravine 
Erst  hailed  me,  the  wild  Ice-Queen; 
The  avalanche  was  my  minister ; 
tMy  courtiers  grim  and  sinister 
The  wolves  and  the  gri^^^^lies  were; 
tAnd  the  winds  howled  chants,  keen 
9.4s  their  fangSy  through  my  fierce  demesne. 

z/^ges  here  have  I  lain 

In  my  yellow  enchantment,  fain 
Of  pursuers  and  wooers  bold. 
In  a  shape  divine,  controlled 
By  the  sacred  thirst  for  gold, 

U'^hose  worship  would  make  my  reign 

(More  wide  in  the  human  brain. 


p    •^ 


t/Ind  their  gain  shall  be  thousand  fold — 

iMy  Lovers  who  grow  not  cold, 
"But  embrace  me  with  might  and  main. 
Our  nuptials  may  start  in  pain, 
"But  the  strain  shall  not  be  vain; 

For  Klondike,  Goddess  of  Gold, 

Is  a  loyal  "Bride  of  the  'Bold. 


"^1 


wmm 


W' 


GOLD  AND  ITS  VICTIMS. 

"Judges  and  Senates  have  been  bought  for  gold." 

— Pope. 

Gold,  says  the  Century  Dictionary/  and  Cyclopedia,  is  a  pre- 
cious metal  remarkable  on  accouut  of  its  unique  and  beauti- 
ful yellow  color,  luster,  high  specific  gravity,  and  freedom 
from  liability  to  rust  or  tarnish  when  exposed  to  the  air. 
The  specific  gravity  of  pure  gold  is  19.3.  Gold  stands  first 
among  the  metals  in  point  of  ductility  and  malleability.  Its 
tenacity  is  almost  equal  to  that  of  silver,  two-thirds  that  of 
copper,  and  twelve  times  that  of  lead.  It  may  be  beaten 
into  leaves  thin  enough  to  transmit  a  greenish  light.  It 
stands  next  to  silver  and  copper  as  a  conductor  of  heat  and 
electricity;  its  melting  point  is  about  l.lUO^C.  (or  2,000«'F.) ; 
it  is  not  attacked  by  any  of  ihe  ordinary  acids,  but  combines 
readily  with  chlorine ;  and  it  is  dissolved  by  a  mixture  of 
hydrochloric  and  nitric  acids.  The  crystalline  form  of  gold 
is  isometric,  but  crystallized  gold  is  a  rarity,  and  it  is  ex- 
tremely uncommon  to  finds  crystals  with  smooth  faces  and 
sharp  edges.  Neither  have  any  very  large  crystals  ever  been 
noticed,  nor  one  so  much  as  an  inch  in  diameter.  Arbor- 
escent masses,  showing  irregularly  developed  crystalline 
planes,  are  occasionally  found,  and  such  forms  are  some- 
times aggregated  into  large  masses;  but  much  the  larger 
part  of  the  native  gold  found  is  entirely  destitute  of  any 
appearance  of  crystallization,  being  usually  in  the  form  of 
small  scales,  which  are  often  so  minute  as  to  be  almost  invi- 
sible to  the  naked  eye.  Larger  rounded  masses,  called 
nuggets,  are  occasionally  met  with,  and  these  are  sometimes 
many  pounds  in  weight.  A  specimen  from  the  Ural  pre- 
served in  the  collection  of  the  mining  school  at  St.  Peters- 
burg weighs  nearly  a  hundred  pounds.  The  largest  nugget 
of  which  there  is  any  record  was  found  in  Australia,  and 
was  called  the  "Welcome."  It  weighed  over  184  pounds, 
contained  by  assay  99.2  per  cent,  of  gold,  and  netted  a 
value  when  melted  of  $46,625.    Gold  is  a  widely  dissem- 


GOLD   AND  ITS  VICTIMS. 


185 


lope. 


inated  metal,  but  does  not  occur  anywherfe  in  large  quanti- 
ties, as  compared  witli  thie  ordinary  useful  metals.  There  is 
no  proper  ore  of  gold,  this  metal  being  never,  so  far  as  is 
known,  mineralized  by  sulphur  or  oxygen.  Although  gold 
is  disseminated  in  fine  and  usually  invisible  particles  througli 
various  ores  of  the  other  metals,  and  in  many  cases  in  quan- 
tity great  enough  to  be  separated  with  profit,  most  of  the 
gold  of  the  world  is  obtained  either  in  the  form  of  native 
gold,  from  washing  the  superficial  detritus  (sand  and  gravel), 
or  by  separating  it  from  quartz,  with  which  mineral  it  is 
almost  invariably  associated  when  occurring  in  veins  or 
segregations  in  the  solid  rocks.  Native  gold  is,  however,  in 
fact,  an  alloy  of  gold  with  silver,  and  traces  of  copper  and 
iron  are  often  associated  with  it.  No  native  gold  entirely 
free  from  silver  has  ever  been  found.  The  amoimt  ct  the 
latter  metal  present  in  gold  varies  greatly  in  diferent 
regions.  The  gold  of  California  usually  contains  from  ten 
to  twelve  per  cent,  of  silver :  that  of  Australia  rather  less 
than  half  as  much.  The  native  gold  of  Mount  Morgan, 
Queensland,  approaches  more  nearly  to  chemical  purity  than 
any  hitherto  discovered,  since  it  contains  99 . 7  per  cent,  of 
gold,  and  only  a  minute  trac  ,  r-f  silver.  Pure  gold  is  very 
rarely  used  in  the  arts.  All  gold  coin  and  gold  ornaments  in 
use  are  alloys  of  gold  with  copper,  or  with  copper  and  silver. 
The  alloy  is  used,  in  the  case  of  coin,  because  pure  gold  is  too 
soft  to  bear  rough  usage ;  and  for  the  same  reason,  as  well 
as  to  diminish  the  cost,  in  the  case  of  gold  used  for  personal 
ornaments.  The  coin  of  England  is  composed  of  eleven 
parts  of  gold  and  one  of  copper ;  that  of  France  and  the 
United  States  of  nine  of  gold  and  one  of  copper.  The  so- 
called  gold  used  for  jewels  and  watch-cases  varies  from 
eight  or  nine  to  eighteen  carats  fine.  Tlie  alloys  of  gold 
with  copper  and  silver  are  given  various  shades  of  color  by 
treatment  with  chemicals,  according  to  fashion  or  fancy. 
Gold  has  been  in  use  for  ornamental  purposes  from  the 
earliest  times.  The  world's  output  of  gold  during  recent 
years,  according  to  the  reports  of  the  United  States  Mint, 
has  been  as  follows :  1893,  $118,840,000;  1891,  .$130,650,000; 
1892,  $14«,297,000 ;  1893,  $157,228,000;  1894,  $181,510,100. 
In  the  United  States  the  output  has  increased  from  over 
$38,000,000  in  1890  to  over  $39,000,000  in  1894.    The  total 


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186 


GOLD  AND  ITS  VICTIMS. 


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amount  of  gold  coin  and  bullion  in  the  United  States  at  the 
end  of  1894  is  estimated  at  about  #600,000,000. 

Waves  of  cupidity  travel  in  cycles  and  have 
from  earliest  times  blighted  communities  and 
sometimes  continents.  Of  these  recurring 
periods,  in  which  all  that  is  basest  in  man's 
nature  has  asserted  itself,  the  most  notable  are 
those  that  afflicted  both  England  and  the  Con- 
tinent from  1717  to  1720,  when  the  great  crash 
came. 

John  Law,  known  as  the  Projector,  was 
born  in  Edinburgh,  in  1671.  He  killed  a  rival 
claimant  to  a  woman's  favors  in  a  duel,  was 
tried  at  the  Old  Bailey  for  murder,  condemned 
to  death,  and  escaped  to  the  Continent. 

Law  originated  the  ' '  Mississippi  System, "  as 
it  was  called,  at  Paris,  and  issued  shares  at 
600  livres  each.  Over  this  scheme  the  entire 
Continent  seemed  to  go  insane,  and  shares  soon 
rose  to  10,000  livres  each,  or  more  than  sixty 
times  their  nominal  value.  A  rage  for  posses- 
sion of  the  shares  per':7^aded  all  ranks  of  society. 
Clergy  and  laity,  peers  and  plebians,  princes 
and  peasants,  statesmen  and  magistrates, 
ladies,  all  in  short,  who  could  procure  money, 
turned  stock-jobbers,  outbidr'ing  each  other 
with  great  avidity.  All  classes  of  men  deserted 
their  work  and  devoted  themselves  exclusively 
to  the  stock  market  of  the  Mississippi  System. 
The  people  were  delirious  with  cupidity. 

The  unexampled  rise  in  the  prices  of  Law's 


GOLD  AND  ITS  VTCTIMS. 


187 


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worthless  securities  enabled  obscure  and  hum- 
ble individuals  to  suddenly  acquire  princely- 
fortunes.  A  footman  having  become  rich  in  a 
day  provided  himself  with  a  carriage.  When 
it  drew  up  at  his  door,  instead  of  entering  it, 
he  climbed  up  behind  from  force  of  habit. 
Law's  coachman  made  a  great  fortune  and  re- 
tired. Cooks  and  maid-servants  appeared  at 
the  opera  ablaze  with  jewels.  The  son  of  a 
baker  at  Toulouse,  taking  a  fancy  to  have  a 
service  of  plate,  bought  the  entire  stock  of  a 
goldsmith  for  400, 000  livres  and  sent  them  to 
his  wife  to  deck  the  supper  table.  All  precon- 
ceived ideas  of  delicacy  or  decency  were  sup- 
planted in  the  public  mind  by  cupidity  and 
avarice.  When  the  scheme  collapsed  in  1720, 
Law  was  stripped  of  his  fortune  and  finally 
died  in  Venice  in  a  condition  of  destitution. 

At  the  time  when  Law's  Mississippi  System 
was  on  the  verge  of  collapse,  the  people  of 
England  were  in  a  frenzy  of  avarice  over  a 
similar  siiieme  to  get  rich  quickly,  which  after- 
wards came  to  be  known  as  the  South  Sec,  Bub- 
ble. The  scheme  was  based  on  the  same  finan- 
cial reasoning  as  Law's,  having  been  originated 
by  Harley,  earl  of  Oxford.  Frantic  indecency 
marked  the  mad  struggle  for  shai*es.  The 
worthless  stock  rose  to  the  fabulous  sum  of 
£1,000  a  share  and  fortunes  were  made  in  an 
hour.  When  the  bubble  was  pricked  it  was 
found  that  cupidity  had  besmirched  a  nation. 


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QOLD   AND  ITS   VICTIMS. 


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Parliament  had  been  corrupted  and  women  of 
high  degree  were  parties  to  the  crime.  The 
widespread  ruin  which  followed  was  so  great 
that  the  nation  had  to  divide  the  loss  with  the 
deluded  subjects.  Contemporaneously  with  this 
great  gambling  scheme,  England  was  afflicted 
with  innumerable  smaller  "bubbles,"  equally 
mischievous  and  based  on  the  projection  of  the 
most  frivolous  and  absurd  ends.  So  wide- 
spread was  the  demoralization  that  this  class 
of  gambling  had  to  be  suppressed  by  act  of 
Parliament. 

During  the  past  four  or  more  years  the  de- 
pressing financial  conditions  of  the  tines  have 
had  their  effect  not  alone  on  the  poor,  who  are 
always  with  us,  nor  on  the  usually  thrifty 
wage-earners  and  those  busy  breadwinners, 
who  may  be  denominated  the  middle  classes, 
but  on  the  capitalist,  the  retired  gentlemen, 
and  those  people  possessing  vested  interests, 
and  what  in  normal  times  would  be  considered 
a  competence.  Proportionately,  the  people 
living  on  their  means  have  suffered  more  per- 
haps than  any  other  class,  especially  those 
holding  mixed  securities,  which  have  so  shrunk 
and  depreciated  as  to  have  caused  acute  alarm 
in  many  a  household  thi-oughout  the  land. 
The  man  whose  property  mainly  consists  in 
mortgages  has  suffered  from  the  continual  de- 
faulting of  interest  payers,  the  farmers,  who, 
in  turn,  have  been  unable  to  scratch  out  of 


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GOLD   AND   ITS   VICTIMS. 


189 


their  farms  a  decent  living,  because  of  over- 
production and  the  consequent  low  prices  of 
nearly  all  farm  produce. 

So  that  everyone  has  been  in  extremis,  and 
for  the  first  time  in  years,  or  perhaps  in  their 
lives,  many  men  reputed  to  be  wealthy  have 
had  to  go  to  "banking."  Men  who  were 
really  worth  $100, 000  half  a  dozen  years  ago  are 
to-day  wondering  why  with  good  management 
and  the  exercise  of  economy  and  good  judg- 
ment in  making  investments,  as  a  rule,  their 
estates  have  dwindled  at  least  one-half.  Such 
men,  forced  to  resort  to  expedients  and  make- 
shifts to  save  their  credit  and  keep  up  appear- 
ances are  often  the  first  to  commit  some  act  of 
monetary  folly  which  pushes  them  to  the  wall 
and  ruins  them  after  a  life-time  on  "Easy 
street." 

The  present  Klondike  fever  has  spread  like 
a  contagion  everywhere,  and  in  its  wake  there 
bid  fair  to  follow  another  disease — mad  specu- 
lation. All  kinds  of  catch-penny  schemes  are 
being  devised  to  trap  the  unwary  man  who 
still  has  a  little  money  to  invest ;  all  kinds  of 
bogus  companies  are  springing  into  existence 
willing  to  accept  subscriptions  for  stock  from 
twenty-five  ceiits  up  to  one  hundred  dollars  or 
more.  After  a  few  weeks  the  unwise  patrons 
of  these  swindling  concerns  will  bo  unable  to 
find  out  their  business  addresses;  they  will  have 
vanished  into  thin  air  with  all  the  specious 


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190 


GOLD  AND  ITS   VICTIMS. 


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promises  of  gain  which  tempted  the  distracted 
investor. 

Hundred  of  advertisements  of  meretricious 
corporations  and  green-goods  projects  have 
appeared  in  the  newspapers,  all  relating  to  the 
gold  craze  in  Alaska  and  the  Klondike,  and 
few  of  them  are  worth  the  instant's  considera- 
tion of  any  rational  man.  They  all  bear  the 
ear-marks  of  insincerity.  If  the  implied  warn- 
ing here  expressed  should  deter  suffering  cap- 
italists or  impressionable  workingmen  from 
rash  investment  in  these  chimerica]  enter 
prises,  the  purpose  of  these  remarks  will  ^e 
justified. 

The  better  plan  for  investors  is  to  wait  pa- 
tiently until  the  summer  of  •1898  for  the  testi- 
mony of  the  thousands  who  have  gone  to  Alaska 
this  year.  If  the  reports  confii-m  all  the  as- 
sertions  made  of  the  amazing  riches  locked 
up  in  the  basin  and  mountains  of  the  Yukon 
country,  there  will  be  plenty  of  time  for  legiti- 
mate investment  on  the  part  of  the  public. 


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